Counting day proved to be a bitter-sweet experience for the family of National People’s Party candidate Tirong Aboh as the sitting Arunachal Pradesh MLA, who was killed in an ambush two days ago, was declared victorious.
Aboh won the seat by a margin of 1,055 votes, defeating BJP’s Phawang Lowang. In the 2014 assembly polls, Aboh had won the Khonsa West Assembly seat by 1,908 votes. However, the seat will go for re-election soon.
On Tuesday, Aboh and his son were among 11 people shot dead by suspected NSCN militants in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap district.
Terming it a case of political rivalry, former Arunachal Pradesh home minister and NPP leader Kumar Waii had then said action should be taken against any political party found using arms during elections. “His victory in elections was certain. I feel it’s a pre-planned attack by his political rivals. And whichever party, be it Congress, NPP or BJP; if they use militancy for political gains, they should not be forgiven,” said Waii.
This is not the first time that an NPP leader has been killed in Arunachal Pradesh. On March 29, NPP worker and Aboh’s supporter Jaley Anna and his friend Kham Nai Abhi were shot at by an alleged NSCN-IM member at Kheti village in Tirap district. While Anna died on the spot, Abhi was admitted to the Dibrugarh Medical College Hospital in Assam.
“It’s a continuous attack by militants on NPP supporters in Arunachal,” said Mithi. The BJP has won a majority in the state, with 33 of their candidates emerging victorious in a 60-member House. The NPP has won four seats, including Aboh’s.