Jubilation swept across Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters in the northeast as it emerged that the party was set to form a government in Left-bastion of Tripura and Nagaland. In Meghalaya, the party was leading in six seats.
Addressing the media, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praised his party’s performance in the three northeastern states, especially in Tripura.
“I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and our party workers,” he said.
Calling it an “important day in Indian politics”, Adityanath said that BJP’s performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya is historic.
As counting of votes continue, the BJP was leading by 41 seats in Tripura – where the Left government has been ruling uninterrupted since 1993. The Congress was nowhere in sight.
In Nagaland, the BJP and its ally, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), were leading in 29 seats, while the Congress was leading in 2. The ruling NPF was leading in 25 seats.
In Meghalaya, where a hung assembly appears likely, the BJP was leading in 6 seats. Its ally in the Centre and Manipur, the NPP, was leading in 18. Congress was leading in 21 seats.
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All three states have 60 assembly seats each but polling was held in 59 in each state. Two candidates died in Meghalaya and Tripura and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) was elected unopposed in Nagaland.