Guwahati, June 17 -- In a major political development, four first-time MLAs from the National People's Party (NPP) have switched allegiance to the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA), the state's only regional party.

The legislators, Namgey Tsering, Pesi Jilen, Tapi Darang, and Oni Panyang, formally joined the PPA, significantly boosting the party's strength in the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly. This move comes just a year after the 2024 state assembly elections, where the NPP had secured five seats and the PPA had won two.

Namgey Tsering had defeated BJP's Tsering Dorjee in the Tawang constituency, while Oni Panyang beat BJP's Olom Panyang in Mariyang-Geku. Pesi Jilen and Tapi Darang also unseated prominent BJP figures Nyamar Ka...