Counting of votes in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland under way

Counting of votes for Assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland began at 8 am on Thursday amid tight security arrangements.

Polling in Tripura was conducted on February 16 while the same was done in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27. The Assemblies in the three states have 60 members each.

The verdicts in the three states are considered an important mandate ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. All eyes are on the outcomes of alliances in Tripura and Nagaland.

The ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress and CPI (M) are expecting a lot from their respective alliances in Tripura. Poll observers believe that the success of the seat-sharing arrangement between the CPI (M) and Congress, a first in Tripura, could be a boost to Opposition parties calling for unity for the Lok Sabha polls at the national level. Left parties contested 47 seats and Congress is contesting the remaining 13.

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Tipra Motha, a regional party, will also be watched. It rejected offers for alliance both from the ruling and the Opposition camps and contested the elections in 42 out of 60 seats with its demand for "Greater Tipraland '' for the indigenous Tripuris.

In Nagaland, the ruling NDPP-BJP alliance is comparatively better placed as the Opposition Naga People's Front (NPF) and Congress contested only in 22 constituencies each out of the 59 seats. The NDPP-BJP contested the elections on a 40:20 seat-sharing arrangement. BJP expects that its tally will increase this time, from 12 in 2018, as it worked hard for peace and development in the insurgency-hit state in the past five years.

In Meghalaya, poll observers are expecting a fractured mandate again as all 12 parties contested elections without any pre-poll ties. No political party has got absolute majority in Meghalaya since 1976. The actual battle, this time, however, was between the National People's Party (NPP) and Trinamool Congress, which became a significant player for the first time in the state. The United Democratic Party (UDP), a regional party, focussing on the issues of Khasi and Jaintia tribes, could be another significant player. In 2018, the UDP won six seats and played a key role in the formation of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government led by the NPP. BJP was a minor ally in the government with two MLAs. The saffron party, however, contested the elections this time in all 60 seats. Eyes will also be on whether BJP can increase its tally in the Christian-dominant state.

Most of the exit polls suggested a comfortable majority for BJP and its allies in Tripura and Nagaland. But the Opposition parties in Tripura claimed that the results on Thursday will be a "shocker" for the ruling alliance. Tipra Motha too refused to accept the exit poll predictions that suggested NPP as the single largest party in Meghalaya.