ITANAGAR, Jan 18 - Former Arunachal Chief Minister Gegong Apang, who quit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday citing that it was no longer following the principles of former PM late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is all set to float a new political front in the State ahead of the coming general elections.
The veteran politician informed that he is leaving for Kolkata after being invited by Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to attend the January 19 rally of the TMC.
Apang further revealed that his party � Arunachal Democratic Front � will be a part of the �Mahagathbandhan� (grand alliance) of the Opposition parties led by the Congress.
NPP MLAs: Meanwhile, the Conrad K Sangma-led National People�s Party (NPP) in Arunachal Pradesh suffered a major setback with two of its MLAs shifting allegiance to the Congress party, thereby reducing the NPP�s strength to five from the existing seven in the 60-member House.
Legislators Tapang Taloh from Pangin and Rajesh Tacho from Anini joined the grand old party at its State headquarters, Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan here on Thursday in presence of AICC general secretary in-charge of Arunachal Pradesh, Luizinho Faleiro, APCC president Takam Sanjoy, CLP leader Takam Pario and other party leaders.
Elected on Congress tickets in the 2014 polls, the duo along with five other MLAs had joined the NPP in July last year from the regional People�s Party of Arunachal (PPA).
Besides the duo, former Ministers Lishi Legi and Komoli Mossang, former Tirap district BJP general secretary Nokchai Boham and ex-Dibang Valley district BJP president Bailo Mele along with their supporters also joined the Congress in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.
