BJP retains Tripura, Nagaland; likely to form coalition govt in Meghalaya: Assembly poll results in 10 points

BJP swept the Assembly polls in all three states, registering a definite win in Tripura and Nagaland, and a likely win in Meghalaya as the winning Union Democratic Party has hinted at alliance with the saffron party. Here's all the key events that unfolded during the day-long poll counting.

The counting of votes in Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya Assembly Elections 2023 concluded on Thursday evening, with the BJP registering emphatic victories in Tripura and Nagaland retaining power in both northeastern states. Meghalaya seems to have once again thrown a hung verdict with Conrad Sangma's NPP, but is likely to form alliance with the BJP with 2 seats. Here's all the key events that unfolded during the day-long poll counting:

1. In Tripura, BJP+ crossed the halfway mark winning at least 33 seats followed by 13 seats won by the new entrant Tipra Motha - which analysts had thought would play kingmaker in case of a hung assembly. The CPI (M) left party stands at third with 11 wins. Nagaland also witnessed a BJP+ sweep as the saffron party consolidated its position winning 37 seats in the 60-member House.
2. In Meghalaya, NPP won 27 seats followed by United Democratic Party's (UDP) 11. BJP has won only 2 seats repeating its 2018 performance, but is likely to renew its alliance with CM Sangma, thereby securing a win for itself here as well. The newly elected MLAs of the UDP will shortly hold a meeting in Shillong to decide the party's next move. "We will hold a meeting with our newly elected MLAs shortly. We will discuss all things about our party's stand," UDP President Metbah Lyngdoh told the media later this evening.
3. Celebrating the win, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BJP's win in the Assembly poll results have shown India and the world how strong people's faith in democracy and democratic institutions is, as he spoke at the BJP headquarters. Taking to Twitter after the address, Modi said that the party will continue to boost the state's growth trajectory.
4. Meghalaya BJP president Ernest Mawrie said the saffron party will submit a letter of support to the NPP on Thursday night to form the next government in the state. "Today, around 6 pm, I got a call from our national president J P Nadda. He asked me to convene a meeting of the state BJP and extend support to the NPP in government formation," Mawrie told the media.
5. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is likely to meet state Governor Phagu Chauhan on Friday morning to stake claim to form the next government, officials said on Thursday. Sangma, also the president of the ruling NPP, will go to Raj Bhawan at 11:30 am on Friday and meet the governor to apprise him of the assembly election results, the official said.
6. As for the Chief Ministers of these three states, Meghalaya's Conrad Sangma retained his South Tura seat. His Nagaland counterpart Neiphiu Rio who was contesting from Northern Angami-II seat also won defeating Seyievilie Sachu of the Congress by a huge margin of 15,824 votes. Rio has never lost an election from this constituency. Similarly, in Tripura, CM Manik Saha won from Town Bardowali constituency, defeating Seyievilie Sachu of Congress by a huge margin of 15,824 votes.
7. Hours before the counting of votes began, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma met BJP's northeast strategist and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati at around midnight on Wednesday. The meeting turned out to be crucial since Meghalaya got into a hung verdict. The BJP and NPP ran the government in Meghalaya for the last five years as a part of the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) but the two parties fought the elections on their own.
8. Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, all recorded healthy voter turnouts of 87.76%, 85.27%, and 85.90% respectively. In all these states, the BJP has replaced Congress as the dominant national party and as such is optimistic to maintain if not further improving its standing. While Tripura went to polls on February 16, Meghalaya and Nagaland voted on February 27. The elections mark the first round of the polls this year, setting the stage for the big show, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
9. For the first time in northeastern states, the Election Commission appointed a counting observer for each of the 60 assembly constituencies. CEO Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao announced that all counting observers are IAS officers from different states across India.
10. Here is what exit polls had predicted for the three states: In Tripura, exit polls predicted BJP to win between 29 to 40 seats, with Congress-Left projected to secure 6 to 11 seats and TMP potentially bagging 9 to 17 seats. India Today-Axis My India has predicted that the BJP will secure 36-45 seats, Congress-Left will get 6-11 seats, and Barma's Tipra Motha will secure 9-16 seats. In Meghalaya, exit polls predicted a hung assembly with Conrad Sangma's NPP expected to become the prominent party with projected seats ranging from 18 to 26. Similarly in Nagaland, the exit polls suggested that the BJP-NDPP alliance is tipped to win 38-48 seats out of 60 Assembly seats and retain power.