The death of his father and former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu in a helicopter crash was a tragic event that led to Pema Khandu’s uncontested victory in the 2011 Mukto Assembly election. With the exception of the 2019 elections, Pema Khandu has retained the ‘family constituency’ uncontested three times, including the recent Mandate 2024 election, solidifying his position as the driving force in India’s easternmost state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Following his debut in politics in 2000 with Congress, Pema Khandu held various positions within the party. However, his political trajectory took a significant upward turn when he assumed his father’s former role in Mukto. He became a minister in Nabam Tuki’s Congress government and later in the BJP-backed administration of Kalikho Pul after a constitutional crisis necessitated the imposition of President’s Rule in January 2016.
Despite the short-lived tenure of Pul’s government, following the Supreme Court’s reinstatement of Tuki’s status as Chief Minister, Tuki subsequently resigned, making way for the then 37-year-old Pema Khandu to succeed him. Khandu’s political acumen became evident within three months of his term when he orchestrated the defection of 43 Congress MLAs to the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), then allied with the BJP. In December 2016, he formally joined the BJP along with the majority of the PPA legislators, giving the saffron party its second government in the state.
Khandu led the BJP to a resounding victory in 2019, securing a second term in power. He is widely regarded for curtailing the influence of factions within the party. A history graduate from Delhi’s Hindu College, Khandu is a member of the Buddhist Monpa community, which holds sway in Tawang and parts of West Kameng districts. He has played a pivotal role in transforming Arunachal Pradesh into a sporting powerhouse in the northeast and is renowned for his renditions of Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi classics at official and cultural gatherings.
In the lead-up to the concurrent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections on April 19th, Khandu pledged to create a government characterized by zero tolerance for corruption, transparency, and a focus on the welfare of the people. He emphasized the BJP’s commitment to good governance and indicated that the party leadership would determine the next Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh following the declaration of Lok Sabha results on June 4th.
Post-election, Khandu met with Governor K.T. Parnaik and submitted his resignation along with that of his Council of Ministers. The Governor subsequently dissolved the Assembly, paving the way for the formation of a new government.
