Counting of votes in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura today

4 exit polls predicted which alliance or single party will form the governments in the 3 northeastern states in the first electoral battle this year

Ahead of the counting of votes, various exit polls have predicted which alliance or party will form the governments in the three northeastern states in the first electoral battle this year

The stage is all set for the counting of votes in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland in a short while from now.

A total of 259 candidates are in the fray in Tripura, 181 candidates in Nagaland and 369 candidates in Meghalaya.

All three states witnessed remarkable voter turnouts as Tripura went to polls on February 16, 2023, while voting in Meghalaya and Nagaland was held on February 27, 2023.

Ahead of the counting of votes, various exit polls have predicted which alliance or party will form the governments in the three northeastern states in the first electoral battle this year.

As per the predictions, while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance is set to retain power in Tripura and Nagaland, the race for Meghalaya will be tight, with Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP) is likely to emerge as the single largest party.

Overall, Meghalaya has been predicted to witness a fractured mandate, with no single party making it past the majority mark.

Meanwhile in Tripura, the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance Motha or TIPRA Motha led by royal scion Pradyot Debbarma is projected to clock double digits in the final results, thus emerging as a potential kingmaker in the polls.

The battle for Tripura witnessed a triangular contest with the BJP contesting 55 seats, leaving the remaining five to its tribal ally — the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).

On the other hand, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) forged a seat-sharing arrangement with a one-time rival Congress. The CPI(M) is contesting 43 seats while the Congress is fighting in 13 seats.

In Meghalaya, all the parties contested the polls solo and put up a large number of candidates. While both BJP and Congress contested all 60 seats, the NPP and UDP put up candidates in 57 and 46 seats respectively.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress, which suddenly emerged as the main opposition in the state after former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma joined its ranks, contested 56 seats.

In Nagaland, the BJP and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) are looking to retain power in the state.

Both contested the elections on a 20-40 seat-sharing formula while the opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) and Congress contested 20 and 23 seats respectively.

The run-up to the elections witnessed high-decibel campaigning with the BJP bringing in its big guns led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda in all three states.

If that was not all, North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) Convenor and BJP’s master strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma also campaigned extensively in all three states.

While the Congress’s top brass gave campaigning in Tripura a miss, senior party leader Rahul Gandhi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed public meetings in Shillong and Dimapur.

On the other hand, the TMC, which is looking to make significant inroads into the Northeast, also campaigned substantially in Meghalaya and Tripura with party chief Mamata Banerjee and General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee spearheading the party’s campaign in both states.

Now, with polling completed, all eyes are on the counting of votes as all three states await the people’s verdict.

By Raunak Dey

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