Election results: Counting of votes began at 8 am.
The BJP and its allies raced ahead in Nagaland and Tripura as votes were counted today in three northeastern states. In Meghalaya, the BJP's estranged ally Conrad Sangma's NPP is leading but hasn't cross the majority mark yet.
Here are the top 10 developments:
In Tripura, the ruling BJP has taken a lead over its nearest rival, the Left-Congress alliance. The BJP is hoping for a big comeback, far above its 2018 score of 36. The BJP is currently leading on 33 seats, three above the halfway-mark.
"Tripura will have a BJP Chief Minister, Nagaland will have a coalition government while that of Meghalaya will be decided as per seats won by the BJP," Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Chief Minister and the BJP's chief strategist in the northeast, predicted yesterday.
The Tipra Motha, led by former royal Pradyot Manikya Debbarma, is leading on 12 seats in Tripura. The tribal-dominated party, which is pushing for a Greater Tipraland, is being seen as an x-factor in these elections.
Meghalaya appears to be headed towards a hung assembly, with no party in clear majority yet. Conrad Sangma's National People's Party or NPP is leading on 26 seats, five short of the majority mark.
In Nagaland, the BJP and its partner NDPP (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party) have surged ahead and are leading on 39 seats in the 60-member assembly.
The outcome of these elections, along with other polls later this year, will be crucial for parties ahead of next year's general election.
In Meghalaya, the BJP and Conrad Sangma's NPP contested the election separately after a five-year alliance. But the parties are believed to be in talks. Mr Sangma and Himanta Biswa Sarma held discussions in a midnight meeting in Guwahati on Tuesday. Sources said they discussed the possibility of a post-poll alliance, though the leaders played it down as a "meeting between friends".
In Nagaland, The NDPP, led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, has been in an alliance with the BJP since the last elections in 2018. The alliance had won 30 seats in the previous elections while NPF won 26.
The CPM, which ruled Tripura for 35 years, has joined forces with the Congress in what is largely being seen as a last-ditch effort to regain its numbers. Over the last five years, both parties have suffered a massive erosion of their support base. The CPM contested 47 of the state's 60 seats, leaving just 13 for the Congress.
Results will also be declared for a series of by-polls – the Erode (East) seat in Tamil Nadu, Sagardighi in West Bengal, Ramgarh in Jharkhand and Kasba Peth and Chinchwad in Maharashtra.
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