BJP and it’s allies in Tripura and Nagaland are set to form the government, while Congress looks to form alliance with various regional parties to reinstate their government in Meghalaya under CM Mukul Sangma. Elections were held in all the three states in the month of February, as BJP was looking to make significant gains in the three states where the party almost didn’t exist. The counting of votes took place on 3rd March, as BJP were hopeful that people’s mandate in the elections will be in favor of the party and its alliance partners NDPP in Nagaland and IPFT in Tripura. In Tripura, BJP and IPFT managed to topple 25 years old Left-Front government as the party overthrew incumbent Manik Sarkar’s government. While in Nagaland the NDPP and BJP alliance crossed the halfway mark, as former CM of the state Neiphiu Rio is set to take the reigns of Chief Minister from former friend turned foe TR Zeliang. Congress party have emerged as the largest party in Meghalaya, as senior Congress leaders have already flown to the state, in order to explore the prospect of alliance with regional players, that can play the role of “kingmaker” for Mukul Sangma led-Congress party and help the party to retain it’s last bastion in North-east.
Tripura
Tripura was one of the last two Left bastions of India, the recent elections saw the Left and Right Indian politics go head to head for the first time in India’s electoral history. BJP along with its regional ally IPFT swept the Left-Front government led by Manik Sarkar aside, as the party came out with a massive mandate against the 25 years’ old incumbent Left-Front government. From being virtually non-existent in the last assembly elections in 2013 to claiming more than 40% vote share on it’s own, certainly goes onto show the ground-level work that laid the foundation for such an emphatic overturn of fortunes for the party. Biplab Deb, the man who became the State President of the BJP in 2016, Sunil Deodhar, a former RSS pracharak and the state in-charge of Tripura, and Hemant Biswa Sarma, party’s North-east strategist, are to be duly credited for BJPs comprehensive victory in Tripura. 48-years-old Biplab Kumar Deb’s work in the state is set to rewarded by the party, as he is the likely CM candidate for BJP-IPFT alliance.
Nagaland
Former CM of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio, has got his revenge over his former party NPF and CM TR Zeliang, as they perpetrated Rio’s exit from the party on the grounds that Zeliang will be NPF’s face for the recently concluded state elections. BJP turned out to be the “Kingmaker”, as party formed up a pre-poll alliance with Neiphiu Rio’s NDPP, after ending their previous alliance in the state with NPF that ruled the state for last 15 years. With BJP in the Centre and PM Narendra Modi’s growing popularity as the “Leader of New India”, certainly gave the people Nagaland hope that the NDPP-BJP alliance will surely benefit the state. As the state has been locked down on “Naga Issue” since past 7 decades and the recent NPF government’s instability due to internal discrepancies, BJPs agenda for the election was clear and simple, development and stability in the state. The mandate of Nagaland’s people show’s the faith people have in former CM Neiphiu Rio as the Chief Minister of Nagaland and Modi Government in Centre.
Meghalaya
The verdict of Meghalaya assembly elections have been a cliffhanger, as none of the parties contesting the elections could emerge with a clear majority. Congress had emerged as the largest party after the electoral verdict, as CM Mukul Sangma have restored the faith of people in his party through developmental work done in the last few years. The Congress party has sent senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamla Nath to Meghalaya, being the largest party in Meghalaya, they explore every possibility of forming alliance with regional and independent leaders to form the government in the state. BJP and NPP will also be aiming to lure the regional parties and independent contestant to join hands with them to form the government in Meghalaya. The battle in Meghalaya has been fiercest, with dust of the battle settling down on 4th March, as Conrad Sangma led NPP looks set to form the government in Meghalaya, as BJP along with UDP, HSPDP and People’s Democratic Front (PDF) — and an independent backed Conrad Sangma to overthrow the incumbent Congress government in the state. With BJP backed alliance forming government in Meghalaya, makes it 3 out of 3 for BJP and its allies in the recently concluded elections in the region, thus, establishing BJP backed alliance governments in 7 out 8 states in the North-east region.
People’s Mandate
BJP is poised to establish 6th government in the North-east region, as the party workers have vehemently campaigned for the party during the elections. From being non-existent to being dominant, BJP, its’ allies in the region, and most importantly the cadre base of the party has toiled hard. The people in the region have bought into ‘Modi Model of Development’, as the region feels that for years it has been thriving hard to get out of the violence and insurgencies that have ruined the region and feel that they have been outpaced by rest of India in terms of development. Thus, for the first time the region has shown faith in BJPs developmental politics, compared to their earlier image as being a Hindu Nationalist party. The results have given boost to BJP, who looks set to retain their power in Centre when the Lok Sabha elections takes place next year.
