Congress nominates Mithi for Rajya Sabha

Itanagar, Mar 13: The Arunachal Pradesh unit of the Congress has chosen Puducherry Lt Governor Mukut Mithi as its member for the lone Rajya Sabha seat of the state which would fall vacant in April.

Party sources said here today that Mr Mithi resigned from his gubernatorial post yesterday.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP), in its meeting on March 4, could not decide on the nomination for the seat, which is currently represented by Mr Nabam Rebia for the last two consecutive terms.

However, the meeting had authorised Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu to recommend names for the same.

The Election Commission of India had announced March 26 as the date for holding election with March 15 as the last date of filing nominations.

Mr Mithi is likely to win smoothly as the ruling Congress in the state has 43 Legislators in the 60-member Assembly with the Arunachal Congress (AC) having two members, while BJP has one and there are 14 Independent members in the House.

Mr Mithi first won a by-election from Roing constituency in April 1983 as an Independent candidate and was re-elected in 1984 from the same constituency on a Congress ticket and became the state Forest Minister during 1987.

He was re-elected in 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2006 and became the longest serving Forest Minister of the state. He broke away from the Arunachal Congress, led by former Chief Minister Gegong Apang, and floated the Arunachal Congress (M) and became Chief Minister on January 19, 1999.

Later, he again merged with the Congress and on being elected unopposed in September 1999, became the Chief Minister for the second term.

However, his predecessor Mr Apang toppled his government on August 3, 2003.

An alumni of the Ramakrishna Mission, Narendrapur, Mr Mithi became the first Arunachalee and youngest politician to become the Lt Governor and assumed office on July 19, 2006.

UNI