Gegong Apang

Gegong Apang is an Indian politician from Arunachal Pradesh. He served as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh from 18 January 1980 to 19 January 1999 and again from August 2003 to April 2007. Apang is the third longest serving head of government of an Indian state after Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim[1][2] and Jyoti Basu of West Bengal[3] as of 2019. In addition he is also Arunachal Pradesh’s longest serving Chief Minister.

Gegong Apang
3rd Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh
In office
4 August 2003 – 9 April 2007
GovernorV. C. Pande
Shilendra Kumar Singh
K. Sankaranarayanan
Preceded byMukut Mithi
Succeeded byDorjee Khandu
In office
18 January 1980 – 19 January 1999
GovernorBhishma Narain Singh
R. D. Pradhan
Gopal Singh
Devi Das Thakur
Lokanath Misra
Surendranath Dwivedy
Madhukar Dighe
Mata Prasad
Lieutenant GovernorR. N. Haldipur
H. S. Dubey
T. V. Rajeswar
Shiva Swaroop
Preceded byTomo Riba
Succeeded byMukut Mithi
Personal details
Born (1949-07-08) 8 July 1949
Karko village (Upper Siang District)
Political partyJanata Dal (Secular)
Other political
affiliations		Indian National Congress (before 2014)
Spouse(s)Yadap Apang, late dipti apang

Political career

Apang won the 1978, 1980 and 1984 assembly elections from Yingkiong-pangin Assembly Constituency.[4] Later he won the 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2004 assembly elections from Upper Siang district's Tuting-Yingkiong Assembly Constituency of Arunachal Pradesh.[5]

Apang was elected as Chief Minister in 1980. He held the office until 1999, when he resigned triggered by a no-confidence motion by a split in the party. Congress Party.[6]

He was elected leader of the newly formed United Democratic Front, a coalition of his own political party, the Arunachal Congress and several others, in 2003. Only a few months later, Apang and his supporting MLAs merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party,[7] the first time the BJP had ever ruled a state in north-eastern India.[8] A few months after the BJP led National Democratic Alliance lost the 2004 general election, Apang returned to the Indian National Congress.[9] In October 2004, Congress won the majority in state assembly election, making Apang return as the Chief Minister.[10] He was in office Chief Minister till 9 April 2007, when Congress MLAs revolted against his leadership under Dorjee Khandu, who succeeded him chief minister and Congress Legislature Party leader.[11]

Apang resigned from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress on 17 February 2014 (party sources said) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 20 February 2014 prior to Indian general election and Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly election. On 15 January 2019 he resigned from primary membership of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by saying that "BJP now platform to seek power." [12] .He joined Janata dal (Secular) [13]

Corruption charges

Apang was arrested on 24 August 2010 for alleged involvement in 1000 crore Public Distribution System scam.[14] Apang denied the charges and claimed they are politically motivated, though the government under Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu maintained that the investigation was conducted independently without political interference.[15] The scam allegedly involves fraudulent hill transport subsidy bills that were paid without the required financial oversight while he was the chief minister.[15]

Personal life

Apang is from Yingkiong, the headquarter of Upper Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh. He has three wives. one of Apang's sons was kidnapped at gun point in June 2008.[16] Later that month he returned home safely, an unknown person to the Apang family who claimed to be of the same clan of Yadap Apang (Apang's wife) kidnapped him.[17]

References
  1. "Sikkim's Chamling pips Jyoti Basu to become India's longest serving CM". The Economic Times. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  2. "Sikkim's Pawan Chamling pips Jyoti Basu as India's longest-serving chief minister - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  3. Desk, The Hindu Net (29 April 2018). "Pawan Kumar Chamling crosses Jyoti Basu's record as longest-serving Chief Minister". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  4. "Election results". Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  5. "Election results". Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  6. "Apang quits, confidence vote defeated". Indian Express. 19 January 1999. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  7. "BJP okays Apang's merger proposal". The Hindu. 25 August 2003. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  8. Talukdar, Sushanta (7–20 November 2009). "Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu leads the Congress to an easy victory but finds ministry-making a tough task". Frontline. 26 (23). Archived from the original on 9 November 2012.
  9. "Apang back in Cong fold". The Economic Times. 29 August 2004. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  10. "Cong regains Arunachal, Apang likely CM". Outlook India. 11 October 2004. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  11. "Apang steps down, Dorjee Khamdu to be new Arunachal CM". DNA India. 9 April 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  12. "Congress stalwart Gegong Apang joins BJP". Times Of India. 20 February 2014.
  13. "Arunachal former CM Gegong Apang joins Janata Dal (Secular)".
  14. "Gegong Apang held for Rs 1,000 -cr PDS scam". Business Standard. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  15. "Arunachal govt dismisses Apang's charge of conspiracy". Indian Express. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  16. "World | India Little progress in Apang son's kidnap probe". Gulf News. 21 June 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  17. "Apang son's kidnapping: uncle arrested". Indian Express. 28 June 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
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