The campaigning for the October 13 Arunachal Pradesh Assembly election ended on Sunday evening with Congress leaders making last minute efforts to explain to voters that they have no truck with the NCP and Trinamool Congress at the state level.
Around 7.25 lakh voters of the state will decide the fate of a total of 157 candidates in the fray. The Congress has put up candidates in all 60 seats. Three Congress candidates, including Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, have been declared elected unopposed from the predominantly Buddhist district of Tawang.
The NCP, which is Congress’ ally in the Centre and in Maharashtra, is pitted against it in Arunachal Pradesh putting up 36 candidates and supporting five others.
Another Congress ally Trinamool Congress has put up 26 candidates, including 10 sitting Congress MLAs who were denied tickets by the party.
The Congress legislators on being denied party tickets floated the state unit of Trinamool Congress after contacting its chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The BJP has put up only 18 candidates this time as against 39 candidates last time.