The BJP doesn’t believe in sitting quietly after a loss — and Liromoba is proof of that.
In a calculated move to reclaim a constituency it lost in 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Arunachal Pradesh has inducted two prominent local figures — former student leader Ritum Tali and well-known singer Jeli Kayi Tamin — into the party fold. The inductions, held at programmes in Aalo and Kamba town in West Siang district, are being seen as an early but deliberate push to rebuild the party’s ground game with the 2029 Assembly elections still three years away.
A Seat the BJP Can’t Forget
Liromoba stings. In the 2024 Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections, NPP candidate Pesi Jilen snatched the seat from the BJP with 7,206 votes, beating sitting MLA Nyamar Karbak by a margin of 1,698 votes. It wasn’t a landslide, but in the tight world of constituency politics, it was enough. Karbak had won the same seat for the BJP back in 2019, so losing it was a setback the party clearly hasn’t moved on from. These new inductions are as much about sending a message as they are about building a coalition.
Fresh Faces, Old Ground
Welcoming new members at the BJP Liromoba Mandal office in Kamba, senior party leaders — including BJP Arunachal Pradesh vice-president Ashok Sangchoju, state secretary Joram Tat, and party leader Beli Gadi — made their intentions clear. The idea, they said, was to expand the party’s reach through prominent local voices who already command respect in the community. A student leader carries youth credibility. A popular singer brings cultural connect. Together, they represent exactly the kind of grassroots influence that wins or loses elections in smaller constituencies.
Karbak Stays Calm — For Now
What makes this interesting is how outgoing MLA Nyamar Karbak responded. Rather than reading the inductions as a threat to his political future, he publicly called it an opportunity to jointly strengthen the BJP. “I have given 12 years to the BJP, and it is not merely a political party for me — it is like my home,” he said, adding that whatever the party high command decides in 2029, he would abide by it. It’s a gracious statement, but anyone watching Arunachal politics knows that internal party battles ahead of polls can be just as intense as the elections themselves. Ritum Tali, for his part, said it was the BJP-led governments’ development work over the past decade that inspired him to join the party and serve people under its ideology.
Not a Replacement Hunt — Officially
BJP vice-president Ashok Sangchoju was quick to shut down the obvious speculation. He told reporters the party follows established organisational principles when picking candidates and that these inductions shouldn’t be seen as a search for Karbak’s replacement. “The joining of these leaders is aimed at strengthening the grassroots organisation in Liromoba and serving the aspirations of the people,” he said. Whether that holds true come 2029 is another matter entirely.
Three years is a long time in politics, but the BJP knows better than anyone that ground-level organisation isn’t built overnight. By planting these roots now — through faces people already know and trust — the party is playing the long game in Liromoba. The question is whether the NPP will be watching, and how they plan to respond.
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