The body of Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu, who was killed in a helicopter crash along with four others on Saturday, was flown to state capital Itanagar on Thursday.

Union minister for development of Northeast B.K. Handique on Wednesday said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may arrive in Itanagar to pay their last respects to Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu.

The late chief minister Dorjee Khandu was the sixth chief minister of the state who first took over the office on April 9, 2007, replacing the powerful Gegong Apang, who had ruled the state for 23 years.

Soon after the death of Dorjee Khandu in a copter crash was confirmed, hectic lobbying started in frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh, with powerful lobbies of industrialists and a section of bureaucrats pushing the name of Nabam Tuki, PCC president and PWD minister, for the chief minister’s post.

Over 3,000 rescue workers, which included mountaineers of specialised forces of the Army, ITBP and CRPF, engaged in tracing the missing helicopter carrying Arunachal CM Dorjee Khandu on Tuesday, the fourth consecutive day, failed to reach three possible locations where Sukhoi jets and Isro satellites have found “metallic traces” in the hills of the state.

Over 3,000 rescue workers, which included mountaineers of specialised forces of the Army, ITBP and CRPF, engaged in tracing the missing helicopter carrying Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu on Tuesday, the fourth consecutive day, failed to reach three possible locations where Sukhoi jets and Isro satellites have found “metallic traces” in the hills of the frontier state.

As search operations launched by both men and machines failed to trace Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu even on Sunday, his family and well-wishers has started a special prayer at Tawang

Former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta here on Saturday pulled up Union home minister P. Chidambram for his sudden declaratioin to disarm the militant outfits holding ceasefire with the government.

Hours after claiming that the missing Pawan Hans Helicopter carrying Arunachal chief minister Dorjee Khandu had landed safely, the Arunachal Pradesh government retracted and said the chief minister and the helicopter were traceless since taking off from Tawang on Saturday.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi here on Friday said that their leaders are in touch with All-India United Democratic Front leaders who are also willing to have an alliance with the Congress for formation of government in Assam.