BJP's 3/3: Keeps Nagaland, Tripura, Reunites With Meghalaya Ally

Assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland were held in February. While Tripura voted on February 16, elections were held in Meghalaya and Nagaland on February 27. Results are being declared today. The three northeastern states have 60 seats each in their Assemblies. Over 74.3 per cent of the electorate voted in Meghalaya while the voter turnout in Nagaland was over 83% and nearly 88% in Tripura.

In Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) could be the single largest party in Meghalaya with 20 seats, according to NDTV's poll of exit polls. The Trinamool Congress may claim 11 seats while the Congress and the BJP may get six seats each in the 60-member Assembly. Other parties could get 17 seats.

In Nagaland, the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) alliance is likely to emerge victorious and retain power in the state, an aggregate of four exit polls showed. The NDPP contested 40 seats while the BJP is looking to win the remaining 20 seats. The BJP has already won in the Akuluto Assembly constituency where its sitting MLA Kazheto Kinimi was elected unopposed after his only rival withdrew from the race.

A three-cornered fight was witnessed in Tripura. The poll of exit polls suggested that BJP could repeat its historic win of 2018 by bagging 32 Assembly seats. The Left-congress alliance could get 15 seats while the Tipra Motha, headed by Pradyot Debbarma, may claim 12 seats.

In 2018, the BJP trounced the CPM and formed a government with the Indigenous Progressive Front of Tripura (IPFT) in Tripura. In Meghalaya, it had forged an alliance with the National People's Party (NPP) and came to power with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland.