Chowna Mein

Chowna Mein (born 2 December 1950) is an Indian politician from Arunachal Pradesh, who has been serving as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister since July 2016 under the present Government formed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Pema Khandu as its Chief Minister. Mein holds the portfolio of Finance & Investment, Power & Non Conventional Energy Resources, Tax & Excise, State Lotteries, and Economics & Statistics.

Prior to his role as Deputy Chief Minister under the present BJP-formed Government, Mein also held the post of Deputy Chief Minister in the state of Arunachal Pradesh from March 2016 to July 2016 under the Government formed by former Chief Minister Kalikho Pul. After the brief Government formed by Pul, Pema Khandu was sworn in as the 9th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh in July 2016, during which Chowna Mein was also sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

On 21 December 2016, Pema Khandu, along with Chowna Mein and 5 other MLAs were suspended from the People's Party of Arunachal by the party president, and Takam Pario was named as the next likely Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh replacing Khandu. However, in a fast-paced development, a BJP Government was established in the state, after 33 out of 43 PPA MLAs joined the party. The newly formed Government by BJP in Arunachal Pradesh continued with the previous cabinet established under Chief Minister Pema Khandu, implying that Chowna Mein continued to serve as the Deputy Chief Minister under the new Government.