Counting of votes in Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya today; BJP eyes 2nd consecutive term

Exit polls have predicted that the BJP will be able to secure a comfortable majority in Tripura, Nagaland, and marginally improve its tally in Meghalaya.

All eyes are set on the much-awaited outcome of the three northeastern states- Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland- that went to Assembly elections last month.

Exit polls are suggesting that the BJP will be able to secure a comfortable majority in Tripura, Nagaland, and marginally improve its tally in Meghalaya. On the other hand, Congress, which once dominated the Northeast, is headed for a wipeout in the three states.

Tripura

Among the three states, it is Tripura which promises to have more national resonance than the two others as traditional rivals Congress and the Left have joined hands for the first time to challenge the BJP in the election to the state's 60-member assembly.

In this battle among the national parties, it is the Pradyot Debbarma-led TIPRA Motha that has emerged as an X-factor as the sway of its founder, scion of erstwhile royalty, among a big section of the tribal population has disturbed conventional calculations, more so as the BJP and its ally Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) had done well in the tribal region in 2018.

The BJP had won 36 seats and the IPFT eight last time. With the IPFT in decline following the death of its founder N C Debbarma, the burden of delivering a majority rests largely on the shoulders of the BJP while its two main rivals have united.

The BJP's stunning rise after having failed to win a single seat in 2013 to a majority on its own five years later by decimating the Left citadel for two decades was projected by the party as its ideological victory over its rivals, and a loss will be seen as a setback despite Tripura's relatively marginal influence on national politics.

Meghalaya and Nagaland

While regional parties remain bigger players in both Meghalaya and Nagaland, the BJP ran a determined campaign with its bigwigs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, in the states to expand its footprints.

For the first time, the BJP has fought on all 60 seats in Meghalaya and constantly targeted National People's Party leader and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma for running the "most corrupt" state government in the country.

The BJP was a partner in the state government but broke ties ahead of the polls. The party hopes to boost its strength from two in the assembly to emerge as a more powerful player if the verdict throws up a hung assembly like the last time.