Congress rebuilds, fighting its own allies along the way
What happened
The Indian National Congress won a majority in Arunachal Pradesh, even as two of its own national allies fielded rival candidates against it.
It won 42 of the 60 seats.
That left it 11 seats clear of a majority.
The Nationalist Congress Party trailed with 5 seats.
It took 19.3% of the vote to the INC's 50.4% — a far narrower gap in votes than in seats.
The campaign
The Election Commission of India announced on 31 August that Arunachal Pradesh's assembly election would be held in October 2009. Nominations closed on 25 September, and the last date for withdrawal was 29 September; polling was fixed for 13 October and counting for 22 October.1
Two of Congress's own national allies broke ranks to contest against it. The Nationalist Congress Party and the All India Trinamool Congress, partners of the Indian National Congress in the UPA at the Centre, fielded rival candidates across the state instead of standing aside. NCP contested 36 seats and AITC 26, against Congress's own 60.2
Three sitting Congress figures avoided a contest altogether. Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu retained Mukto unopposed, alongside Tsewang Dhondup in Tawang and Jambey Tashi in Lumla, after nominations were scrutinised and withdrawals closed on 29 September.3
- 1Election Commission Announces October 2009 Poll Schedule for Arunachal Pradesh — 2009 Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, 2009 Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
- 2NCP and AITC, Congress's National Allies, Fight the Election Against Congress in Arunachal Pradesh — 2009 Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
- 3Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu Among Three Congress Candidates Elected Unopposed — 2009 Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
What changed
A rival regional party that had split from INC folded back into it just ahead of this election.4
Its seat count climbed from 34 to 42.
The single biggest shift ran from Independent candidates to INC, covering 10 of the 35 seats that changed hands.
The party has now won 6 elections in a row in the state.
Turnout, the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot, also rose +5.9 pp from the previous election.
- 4Arunachal Congress splits from the INC — Arunachal Congress
Notable numbers
The closest race was at Along West, Arunachal Pradesh, decided by a margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — of 31 votes.
Hayuliang, Arunachal Pradesh saw the widest margin of the election, 74.3% of the vote.
Seppa West, Arunachal Pradesh recorded the highest turnout of any seat, 95.0%.
Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh was the state's largest constituency, with 57,979 registered voters, its most contested with 5 candidates, and also had the lowest turnout of the year at 51.0%.
The backdrop
Arunachal Pradesh's Legislative Assembly began as a provisional body created in 1975, when a constitutional amendment converted its Pradesh Council into a 33-member assembly with 30 directly elected seats.5
The state itself followed in 1987, when Arunachal Pradesh became a full state after fifteen years as a Union Territory, and the assembly grew from 33 to 60 seats.6
A regional breakaway, the Arunachal Congress, took most of INC's sitting legislators after a 1996 split led by then Chief Minister Gegong Apang, before folding back into the party just ahead of this election.4
- 4Arunachal Congress splits from the INC — Arunachal Congress
- 5Provisional Legislative Assembly created — Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly
- 6Arunachal Pradesh attains full statehood — Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Arunachal Pradesh