Northeast to set the poll ball rolling
BJP has made significant inroads into the northeast, which was a bastion of the Congress
The countdown for India’s general elections has begun. Nine states will go to the assembly polls this year ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and the Election Commission of India has set the ball rolling, announcing polling dates for three key northeastern states — Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Tripura will vote on February 16, while Nagaland and Meghalaya elections will be in February. Results are expected on March 2.
Tripura
The BJP scored a historic win in the 2018 assembly election, ending the Left Front’s 25-year rule in the state. Out of the 60 seats, the BJP won 36, the CPM got 16, and Congress returned empty-handed.
This time, the BJP faces a Left-Congress alliance and a third player who will be key — the TIPRA Motha party, led by former state Congress chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya. The former royal has strong support among tribals and has made the demand for a greater Tipraland state for tribals his main plank. However, it isn’t yet clear which party he would end up supporting, but he has said that he will ally with the one that accepts his demand in writing. However, soon after the announcement of election dates, Manikya met with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, setting off speculation of a possible deal with the BJP.
Meghalaya
The 2018 polls to the 60-member Meghalaya assembly returned a fractured verdict. This time, the entry of Mamata Banerjee’s TMC has further queered the pitch.
In 2018, Chief Minister Conrad Sanghma’s National People’s Party (NPP) captured 9 seats, the Congress was the single largest party with 21, the BJP got just 2, and the United Democratic Party had 6 seats. The NPP formed the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance with the support of the BJP, UDP and the Hill State People’s Democratic Party. However, cracks have emerged, with the NPP and the BJP deciding to fight the elections separately.
Nagaland
There’s been no Opposition in the 60-seat Nagaland assembly since 2021. In 2018, BJP won 12 seats, NDPP got 17, and NPF 26, with the NDPP’s Neiphiu Rio becoming the chief minister. A
All parties came together to seek a solution to the Nagaland problem and formed the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). But this alliance will not continue in the upcoming polls as the NDPP and BJP have joined hands against the NPF. The Congress has said it may enter into a post-poll alliance with the NPF.