Northeast Polls Results 2018: Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya voted in February.
Agartala/Kohima/Shillong: The BJP is now well ahead of the ruling CPM in Tripura as votes are counted, set to end the two-decade run of the Left party's Manik Sarkar as chief minister. The party and its new regional partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party have also pulled ahead in Nagaland and will form government if they hold on to current leads. In Meghalaya, the ruling Congress is leading but could fall short of a majority and is scrambling to try and ensure that the BJP does not manage to gather regional allies to form government. Counting of votes began at 8 this morning for assembly elections in the three Northeastern states.
Here is your 10-point guide to the Northeast election results 2018:
- At 11:30 am, the BJP along with its regional ally was leading in 39 seats in Tripura. The Left was ahead in 20. Tripura has 60 assembly seats and a party needs 31 to win a majority.
- Meghalaya and Nagaland too have 60 assembly seats each and a party needs 31 to win.
- In Meghalaya, the Congress has shot ahead of closest rival National People's Party (NPP), leading in 28 seats, still well short of the halfway mark. The NPP is leading in 13 and the BJP in eight. Smaller parties and Independents are ahead in 10 and could play a crucial role in government formation if no party wins a majority.
- The BJP and its regional allies from the state like the NPP and the United Democratic Party are contesting separately. They could quickly announce a post-poll alliance in the case of a hung house as was seen last year in the Manipur elections and the Congress has airlifted top leaders from Delhi to begin negotiations in capital Shillong with smaller parties.
- In Nagaland, the BJP and its regional partner NDPP, led by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio has pulled ahead of the ruling NPF in a closely fought battle. BJP-NDPP are leading in 31 seats and the NPF of Chief Minister TR Zeliang is leading in 26.
- Neiphiu Rio has been elected unopposed from his seat Northern Angami II as his rival withdrew his nomination. The BJP had pulled out of an alliance with the NPF ahead of the elections and chose to ally with Mr Rio's new party.
- The BJP is seeking to further consolidate its position in the Northeast, recently bolstered by the party forming government in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. The seventh Northeast state, Mizoram, ruled by the Congress, will vote later this year.
- The CPM admits it has been stretched in a tough battle this time by the BJP in Tripura, but has asserted that Manik Sarkar, famous as the country's "poorest chief minister," will win a fifth straight term.
- It's a crucial election for the Left party which is now in power only in Tripura and Kerala after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ended its three-decade rule in West Bengal seven years ago.
- Votes are being counted for only 59 seats in Meghalaya and Tripura. Elections were cancelled in one seat each in the two states because of the death of candidates. These will be held later.
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