Mepe Dada

Mepe Dada died peacefully at his residence in Division IV, Itanagar, at about 10 am on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, aged 75. No cause of death was made public.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu, writing on X, described his passing as a great loss to the people of East Kameng and offered condolences to his family. Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also expressed their grief. Home Minister Mama Natung and the sitting Seppa East MLA, Ealing Tallang, visited his home to console the family. The All East Kameng District Students' Union and the Dadda Dawe Welfare Society issued statements of mourning. Funeral arrangements had not been reported at the time of writing.

Mepe Dada was born in about 1951 to Hofe Dada and Feme Gyadi Dada. He came from East Kameng district in western Arunachal Pradesh, and the Dadda Dawe Welfare Society, which represents his community, regarded him as its first member of the Legislative Assembly. Details of his education and life before politics have not been published in the reports available.

Dada was elected to the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly at the 1990 general election as the Janata Dal candidate for Seppa East, a seat reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates. Election Commission figures show he took 2,461 votes, or 51.22 per cent, against 2,266 for Atum Welly of the Indian National Congress, making him the first winner recorded for the constituency.

He served as MLA from 1990 to 1995. The Arunachal Times recalled that during his tenure he dedicated himself to the welfare and development of the people of East Kameng district.

At the 1995 election he contested Seppa East for the Indian National Congress. He received 1,728 votes, 24.75 per cent, finishing third behind Bida Tako of the Janata Party, who won the seat, and Atum Welly, by then standing for the Janata Dal.

Dada lived in Division IV, Itanagar, in his later years. He was survived by three sons and three daughters.

Dada is remembered as the first elected representative of Seppa East and as the first MLA from the Dadda Dawe community, a milestone the community's welfare society singled out after his death. Leaders across party lines recalled his service to East Kameng in the early years of Arunachal Pradesh's statehood, which had been granted in 1987.