Assembly polls: BJP keeps Tripura, Nagaland; renews alliance with Conrad Sangma to form govt in Meghalaya

As Meghalaya was heading towards a hung assembly with no clear majority, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, whose National People's Party (NPP) is leading the field, called BJP's chief strategist Amit Shah.

Ahead of the polls, the two parties had decided to go it alone for the election fight after a rift over corruption allegations against Sangma's NPP.

"Sri @SangmaConrad, Chief Minister of Meghalaya, called @AmitShah ji, Hon'ble Home Minister, and sought his support and blessings in forming the new Government," tweeted Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Chief Minister and the BJP's pointsperson in the northeast.

On a victory note, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Grateful to all those who have supported @BJP4Meghalaya in the Assembly polls. We will keep working hard to enhance the development trajectory of Meghalaya and focus on empowering the people of the state. I am also thankful to our party workers for the effort they put."

Echoing his words, Shah in a tweet wrote: "Thank you the people of Meghalaya for your support and blessings to BJP. I applaud @BJP4Meghalaya  for their hard work to expand BJP’s footprints in the state. BJP under PM @narendramodi Ji will leave no stone unturned in serving the people and creating a bright future for them."

The two parties together are leading in 28 seats in the 60-member house. The alliance is still some way below the halfway mark of 31.

Meanwhile, the Republican Party of India, which had contested two seats, managed to win both while independent candidates coasted to victory in two seats and were leading in two other constituencies.

Lok Janshakti Party(Ram Vilas) aspirants won one seat and are leading in two others.

The Congress, which failed to open its account in the previous Nagaland Assembly polls five years ago, is not in the lead in any of the constituencies so far.

A new entrant in the northeast polls-Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congres-is leading on five seats in Meghalaya but did not manage to make headway in Tripura, where the party sought to make inroads as part of its all-India expansion plans.

In Tripura, the BJP and its ally IPFT (Indigenous Progressive Front of Tripura) are leading in 33 of the 60-seat assembly.

The BJP did not put up as good a performance as in 2018 when the saffron party alone won 36 seats. The IPFT had won 8.

In a tweet, PM Modi wrote: "Thank you Tripura! This is a vote for progress and stability. @BJP4Tripura  will continue to boost the state's growth trajectory. I am proud of all Tripura BJP Karyakartas for their spectacular efforts at the grassroots."

This time, the BJP is leading in 28 seats, way below the "tsunami" Chief Minister Manik Saha had predicted.

On being asked about the same, Saha said the "party will have to introspect" regarding the results not matching expectations.

The Left, which ruled the state for 35 years, and its new ally Congress, are leading on 14 seats, down by two.

Erstwhile royal Pradyot Kishore Debbarma's Tipra Motha, which made its debut in this election, is leading on 12 seats. 

The party, which is pushing for a Greater Tipraland, seems to have won the IPFT's tribal support.

In Nagaland, the BJP and its partner NDPP (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party) are leading in 37 seats, which is seven more than the last time.

Congratulating the BJP workers, PM Modi tweeted: I thank the people of Nagaland for blessing the @NDPPofficial @BJP4Nagaland alliance with yet another mandate to serve the state. The double engine government will keep working for the state's progress. I laud our party workers for their hardwork which ensured this result."
 

Amit Shah too thanked the people of Nagaland to choose them back to to power.

The state also has got a woman MLA for the first time since Independence.

Hekani Jakhalu, a member of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), has become the state's first female MLA.

By securing 1,536 more votes than Azheto Zhimomi, the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hekani Jakhalu won the contest for the Dimapur III seat.