The ruling BJP-IPFT alliance on Thursday secured a second straight term in Tripura by winning a simple majority in a multi-cornered contest. The NDPP-BJP alliance bagged 37 seats in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, securing another straight second term. In Meghalaya, the BJP is poised to be part of the ruling dispensation again as a junior partner.
In Tripura, the BJP won 32 seats and its ally IPFT (Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura) one seat in the 60-member House, overcoming four challenges, including a Left-Congress arrangement.
The BJP-led alliance beat back anti-incumbency, organisational hiccups and the challenges posed by the Left Front-Congress seat-sharing arrangement as well as the debutant Tipra Motha. Motha won 13 of the 20 seats reserved for ST candidates. The CPM, which led the Left Front, won 11 seats, and its ally Congress three seats. The Trinamul Congress, which contested 28 seats, failed to open its account.
BJP leaders here attributed the victory to the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-people and development agenda, asserting the “big message” from the Tripura polls was that it was a “prelude” to what would happen in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections even if the entire Opposition unites. The BJP and its ally, which had won 36 and eight seats in 2018, suffered a loss of 11 seats.
NDPP-BJP Alliance Secures Second Term in Nagaland
The ruling alliance of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Nagaland secured its second term on Thursday.
The NDPP-BJP alliance won 37 of the total 60 seats in the Nagaland assembly. The NDPP won 25 seats and BJP won 12 seats. On the 60 seats, the NDPP and BJP had contested the Nagaland assembly elections on 40:20 ratio.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of NDPP is set to serve a record fifth term as the Chief Minister of Nagaland. Betides NDPP and BJP, no party reached double digits.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) came a distant third with six seats; followed by National People’s Party (NPP) with five seats; and Naga Peoples Front (NPF) and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) with two each; and Janata Dal (United) with one seat.
Four Independent candidates also secured victories. Congress could not open its tally in Nagaland despite contesting on 23 seats.
The Nagaland assembly election results are in line with exit polls that mostly predicted that NDDP-BJP alliance would return to power.
Hung in Meghalaya
Meghalaya is the only state in the North-East where the BJP looked shaky, winning only two seats, same as in 2018. Outgoing Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma-led NPP bagged 26 seats, emerging as the single largest party, while the UDP won 11.
The NPP, UDP and BJP had in 2018 stitched a post-poll alliance to form the government despite the Congress being the single largest party with 21 MLAs.
Chairman of BJP’s North-East Democratic Alliance Himanta Biswa Sarma has already hinted at parleys with the NPP for government formation in Meghalaya with even Conrad’s aides today saying a bigger mandate for the party reflected the voters’ urge to consolidate better with former partners.
Meghalaya BJP president Ernest Mawrie later said the party would submit a letter of support to the NPP on Thursday night to form the next government in the state. Newcomer Trinamool Congress (TMC) won five seats and so did the Congress in Meghalaya.
