Arunachal assembly to elect slain MLA Tirong Aboh's wife from Khonsa West

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu is likely to convene an all-party meeting soon to work out the proposal by the MLAs to get Chakat Aboh, wife of slain MLA Tirong Aboh, elected without any contest in the by-poll to the Khonsa West seat.

Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh):All the elected members of the newly formed Arunachal Pradesh assembly on Tuesday unanimously decided to elect Chakat Aboh from the Khonsa West seat, which was won by her husband Tirong Aboh, before being killed in a militant attack last month.

Responding to the proposal of the members during obituary reference in respect of Aboh in the state assembly, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said he will convene an all-party meeting soon to work out the proposal to get Chakat Aboh elected without any contest in the by-poll to the seat.

"Our efforts will be to ensure that she (Chakat) wins the by-poll unopposed as all the political parties have expressed their willingness to get her elected to the assembly as a tribute to Tirong Aboh," said Khandu.

Aboh had contested the Assembly elections held on April 11 as a National People's Party (NPP) candidate. He retained the Khonsa West Assembly constituency by defeating his lone rival, Phawang Lowang of the BJP, by 1,055 votes.

Eleven persons, including Tirong Aboh and his 20-year-old son, were killed in an ambush by suspected militants in the 12 Mile area in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh on May 21.

The legislator was on his way to Khonsa, the district headquarters of Tirap, from upper Assam's Dibrugarh when suspected Naga militants opened fire on his four-vehicle convoy.

Condemning the incident, Khandu informed the house that the state Cabinet in its first sitting on June 2 had decided to hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).