Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland election results 2023: When and where to watch

Election Result 2023: The Election Commission (EC) will commence counting of votes for Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland on Thursday. Tripura went to polls on February 16, while Meghalaya and Nagaland voted on February 27. The BJP has been in power in Tripura on its own, while in the other two states, it has been in alliance with ruling parties like Neiphiu Rio's NDPP in Nagaland and Conrad Sangma's NPP in Meghalaya. However, BJP and NPP have gone solo this time and are contesting on all seats in Meghalaya. Each state has 60 odd seats and the party needs 31 to form the government.

Election Results 2023: When and where to watch

The counting of votes for Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland will begin at 8 am on Thursday (March 2). "Result trends will start from 8 am on 2nd March," reads a message on the commission's site. Postal ballots will be taken up for counting first, which will be followed by EVMs. The results will be updated on the official website of the Election Commission - https://results.eci.gov.in/. The results will also be broadcast live by TV channels like India Today and Aaj Tak.    

Three-cornered fight in Tripura

In the last assembly election, the contest was between the BJP and the Left. However, this time, the entry of the Tipra Motha Party headed by former Congressman and current head of the Tripuri royal family Pradyot Deb Barma has made it a three-way contest. Also, Congress has joined hands with the Left.

Tripura Exit Poll Results 2023

In Tripura, the BJP is expected to return to power for the second straight term. Here, the saffron party is contesting in alliance with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) of Prem Kumar Reang. BJP is contesting on 55 seats while the rest is with the IPFT. As per exit polls, BJP is expected to win 29 to 40 seats while the Congress-Left is projected to win 6 to 11 seats and TMP may bag 9 to 17 seats.

India Today-Axis My India has projected 36-45 seats for the BJP, 6-11 for Congress-Left, and 9-16 for Barma's Tipra Motha. Times Now-ETG is the only agency that has projected a close fight with 21-27 seats for BJP and 18-24 for Congress-Left and 12-17 for Tipra Motha.

Meghalaya Exit Poll Results 2023

In Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma's NPP is expected to emerge as the leading party in the state with seat projections ranging from 18 to 26. BJP and Congress are expected to bag 6 to 12 seats. India Today-Axis My India has predicted 18-24 seats for NPP, 5-9 for Trinamool Congress, 4-8 for the BJP, 6-12 for Congress and 8-12 for United Democratic Party (Meghalaya) led by Metbah Lyngdoh.

Nagaland Exit Poll Results 2023

In Nagaland, the BJP has been in power in alliance with NDPP. Both parties have formed a coalition - North-East Democratic Alliance or NEDA. This time, the BJP is contesting on 20 seats while NDPP is fighting on 40. The exit polls have predicted a majority for the ruling alliance, with seat projections ranging from 35 to 49. India Today-Axis My India has given 38-48 seats to the ruling alliance, 3-8 for Naga People's Front (NPF), 1-2 seats for Congress, and 5-15 for others.

What BJP and Congress have to say on exit polls

The ruling BJP in Tripura believes it will do much better than the results shown in the exit polls. The Left and Congress have rejected the predictions, stating it was confident of securing a full majority. BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharjee said people have seen the exit polls and "the result will be far better than that". CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said the exit polls have given the ruling party more than 40 seats despite no wave in favour of the BJP. "The predictions are ridiculous," he said.

EC appoints observer for each constituency

For the first time in the northeastern state, the commission has appointed a counting observer for each of the 60 assembly constituencies. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao said that all counting observers will be reaching the state by Wednesday. All counting observers are IAS officers who are coming from various states across the country. The CEO said polled EVMs are kept in strong rooms and they will be taken up for counting in presence of the Election Commission-appointed observers. In Tripura, votes will be counted in 21 counting halls amid three-tier security.

(With inputs from PTI)