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 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.

Early life Chowna Mein was born on 2 December 1950 at Sunpura, Lohit district, Arunachal Pradesh to a Tai Khamti family. His father is the late Chow Pook Gohain, one of the founding fathers of Arunachal Pradesh; who was elected to the first agency council in 1969, then served as a member of the Agency Council till 1972. At the time, Arunachal Pradesh was renamed from the North-East Frontier Agency and made a Union Territory.

Mein is an alumnus of the Don Bosco School, Guwahati and Jawaharlal Nehru College, Pasighat. His family has long been associated with the political field, and hence his entry into politics can be seen as a natural inclination towards carrying forward his family legacy. Apart from his father, Mein’s elder brother, Chow Tewa Mein has remained an elected member of the Pradesh Council in 1972; and his maternal uncles, Chow Khamoon Gohain and Chow Chandret Gohain have both remained elected members of the Legislative Assembly.

In 2019, he changed his constituency and was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the 46th Chowkham-Wakro constituency during the 2019 assembly elections. On 29 May 2019, Chowna Mein was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister after Pema Khandu was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.

Roles undertaken in his political career + Elected as Constituency Year Designation MLA 48-Lekang (JD) 1995 Became speaker in 1998

Honours

Gauhati University conferred upon Chowna Mein an honorary Ph.D. (Honoris Causa) at its 32nd convocation on 25 April 2025. Recognized for his leadership, his promotion of the Tai‑Khamti culture, and contributions to religious harmony and social development.

Chowna Buku Chulu (Aryarakta) is a species of Begonia named in honour of Chowna Mein. The species name, meaning "Noble Red," was designated to acknowledge his contributions to promoting research, innovation, and sustainable development in the agriculture and horticulture sectors of Arunachal Pradesh.