Arunachal: BJP nominates Kiren Rijiju and Tapir Gao as candidates for LS polls

Itanagar: The BJP on Saturday named of two prominent figures of Arunachal Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the northeastern state.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh's BJP President Tapir Gao have been nominated as the party's candidates for the respective constituencies.

Rijiju, serving as the Earth Sciences Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, is set to contest once again from the Arunachal Pradesh West seat, a position he has held with distinction since 2004, with the exception of one term where he was defeated by Congress’ Takam Sanjay in 2009.

A law graduate from the University of Delhi, Rijiju's tenure as Law Minister was not without its share of controversies.

Notably, in 2022, he criticized the collegium system for appointing judges, labeling it as "opaque" and advocating for a more transparent government role in the process.

His bold stance was further underscored when he expressed concerns about retired judges being associated with what he termed as the "Anti-India gang" in March 2023.

Subsequently, on May 18 last year, he was entrusted with the Ministry of Earth Sciences portfolio.

Meanwhile, Tapir Gao, the stalwart state BJP chief, has been nominated for the East Lok Sabha constituency.

Gao, who previously secured victory in 2004, experienced setbacks in 2009 and 2014 before triumphantly reclaiming his position in the Lok Sabha in 2019.