Itanagar, Mar 30 (IANS): As many as 10 ruling BJP candidates, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, won their respective seats in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections without a contest, poll officials said on Saturday.

Election officials said in Itanagar that after the withdrawal of nominations in different seats, it was found that 10 BJP candidates won unopposed.

There was no candidate against Chief Minister Khandu in the Mukto Assembly constituency. Similarly, first-timer and retired engineer Techi Rotu of the BJP was the only candidate who filed nomination for the Sagalee Assembly seat.

Chief Minister Khandu posted on X: “Celebrated the unopposed win of 10 BJP Assembly candidates with Hon Minister and in-charge Shri Ashok Singhal ji along with Hon'ble Deputy CM Shri Chowna Mein Ji and party karyakartas at BJP karyalay.”

“It's all because of the people's love and trust in Modi Ki Guarantee and our dedication in ensuring all-round development of the state,” he added.

Assam Minister and BJP’s Arunachal Pradesh in-charge, Ashok Singhal, said in a post on X: “In the context of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the election of 10 candidates of BJP unopposed during nomination is a very big achievement and I have full faith that in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party will be declared victorious with a huge majority on both the seats in Arunachal Pradesh and along with that, the Bharatiya Janata Party will win 60 out of the 60 seats in the Legislative Assembly and a new history will be created.”

Besides Chief Minister Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who was fielded from Chowkham (ST), the other eight BJP nominees who have been elected unopposed are Dasanglu Pul (Hayuliang-ST), Dongru Siongju (Bomdila), Techi Ratu (Sagalee), Hage Appa (Ziro-Hapoli), Jikke Tako (Tali), Nyato Dukam (Taliha), Mutchu Mithi (Roing), and Techi Kaso (Itanagar).

In 1999, four candidates from different parties were elected unopposed to the Arunachal Assembly, and the practice continued since then.

In 2014, 11 Congress MLAs, including incumbent Chief Minister Khandu, got elected uncontested. However, a majority of the legislators led by Khandu later quit the Congress and joined the BJP to form the government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In the last Assembly elections in 2019, three BJP candidates were elected unopposed.

The Assembly elections and polling for the state's two Lok Sabha seats -- Arunachal West and Arunachal East – will be held simultaneously on April 19.

In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 41 out of the 60 seats in Arunachal. Later, seven MLAs from other parties joined the BJP.

The counting of votes for the Assembly polls will be taken up on June 2, while the results for the two Lok Sabha seats will be announced on June 4.