Pema Khandu becomes Arunachal's 2nd longest-serving CM after Gegong Apang

After taking oath as the Arunachal Pradesh chief minister, Pema Khandu became the longest-serving chief minister after former Chief Minister Gegong Apang.

Khandu assumed office as the Chief Minister of the state on July 17, 2016 and has retained the position since, completing 8 years.

Gegong Apang, on the other hand, served as the 3rd CM of the state from January 18, 1980 to January 19, 1999 and again from August 2003 to April 2007. He is a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) and was a member of the Indian National Congress before 2016.

Pema Khandu, in 2011 took over the Mukto seat as a Congress leader after his father and former Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu's death. He won the seat in 2024. 

On July 17, 2016, Pema Khandu became the Arunachal Chief Minister for the first time at the age of 36. 

Later, in September 2016, Khandu joined the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) along with 43 legislators. The same year, in December, Pema Khandu parted ways with the PPA and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 33 of the 43 legislators who had joined the party with him in September.

Khandu emerged victorious in the Assembly elections held in 2019 by marking a landslide win in 41 of 60 seats, thus becoming the chief minister for the second time. 

On June 13, 2024, Arunachal Pradesh Governor Tathagata Roy had administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to Pema Khandu.

It is worth mentioning that Tarun Gogoi also served a long tenure as the Chief Minister. He served as Assam's CM from 2001 to 2016. Gogoi was a leader in the Indian National Congress.

Pawan Chamling, the former Chief Minister of Sikkim, also had a remarkable tenure of 25 years, making him one of the longest-serving chief ministers in the history of India.