The Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies on Thursday won the Nagaland and Tripura Assembly elections but was trailing in Meghalaya.
In Nagaland, the BJP and its National People’s Party won 37 of the 60 seats.
In Tripura, the BJP and its coalition partner, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, secured 33 of the 60 seats. The saffron party alone has won 32 seats and is leading in two.
The impressive performance of the BJP has not followed in Meghalaya where it won only two of the 60 seats. However, as the National People’s Party won 26 seats, failing to reach the halfway mark, it has sought support from the BJP, which has agreed to the request.
Elections in Tripura were held on February 16, while polls in Meghalaya and Nagaland were held on February 27.
The results of the bye-elections in Erode (East) in Tamil Nadu, Sagardighi in West Bengal, Ramgarh in Jharkhand and Chinchwad and Kasba Peth in Maharashtra were also declared on Thursday.
Here are the top updates of the day:
8.35 pm: Modi says the BJP has changed the way politicians function, adding that the party “walks on the path of honesty”.
8.34 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the election results show “there is full faith in democracy and democratic institutions”.
8.30 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing BJP workers at party headquarters in Delhi.
8.11 pm: Neiphiu Rio is set to become Nagaland Chief Minister for record fifth term.
7.45 pm: Here are the results of the bye-elections held across five states.
7.20 pm: Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma says he will not join hands with the CPI(M) or the Congress, reports ANI.
“We are the second largest party so we will sit in the Opposition but will not sit with CPM or Congress,” he said. “We can sit independently. We will help the government as and when they need.”
7.15 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanks the people of Tripura and Nagaland for the mandate.
“The double-engine government will keep working for the state’s progress,” he says. “I laud our party workers for their hard work which ensured this result.”
On Meghalaya, he says that the BJP will keep working hard to enhance the development trajectory and focus on empowering the people of the state.
6.17 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has advised BJP’s Meghalaya unit to support Conrad Sangma-led National People’s Party to support the outfit in forming the government, tweets Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
This was after Sangma sought Shah’s help in forming the government, Sarma adds.
The NPP has won 20 seats and is leading in six. The BJP has won two seats.
6.08 pm: Union Home Minister Amit Shah expresses gratitude to the citizens of Nagaland and Tripura for supporting the BJP in the elections.
5.19 pm: The Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura win the Tripura Assembly polls, getting 31 of the 60 Assembly seats. The BJP alone has won 30 seats and is leading in two.
4.29 pm: The Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party win the Nagaland Assembly polls securing 33 of the 60 Assembly seats. The coalition is leading four more seats.
3.40 pm: Celebrations underway at BJP office in Agartala as the party appears set to retain power in Tripura on its own and with its senior ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party in Nagaland.
3.35 pm: BJP leader and Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma loses from Charilam constituency. Tipra Motha Party leader Subodh Deb Barma wins with 13,657 votes.
3.19 pm: The United Democratic Party has won nine seats in Meghalaya and is leading in four. The ruling National People’s Party has won eight seats and is leading in 17.
3.09 pm: In Nagaland, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party has won 12 seats and is leading in 12 others. Its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has secured seven seats and is leading in five.
3.07 pm: Incumbent Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio wins the Northern Angami II seat, defeating Congress’ Seyievilie Sachu by 15,824 votes.
2.26 pm: Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party candidate Hekhani Jakhlau becomes first first woman to be elected to Nagaland Assembly. Jakhlau defeats Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) candidate Azheto Zhimomi by 1,536 votes to win the the Dimapur III.
2.05 pm: “We’d like to thank the people of the state for having voted for us,” Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told ANI. “We are short on a few numbers, so we’ll wait for the final results to come out. We will see what next steps are to be taken based on the final results.”
2.00 pm: The BJP has won six seats in Tripura and continues to lead in 27 seats, while the Tipra Motha Party is leading in eight seats and has won four seats so far. The CPI(M) has won one seat and is leading in 11 seats while its ally Congress is leading in only three seats so far.
1.52 pm: In Nagaland, the BJP is leading in 12 seats after securing victory in two, while the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party is leading in 19 seats and winning 6 seats so far. The National People’s Party has won one seat in Nagaland and is leading in four seats so far.
1.50 pm: In Meghalaya, the National People’s Party is leading in 21 seats and has won five seats so far. The Trinamool Congress and the Congress have won one seat each, while the United Democratic Party has won two seats so far in the state.
1.24 pm: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for the party’s performance in the state, ANI reports.
He, however, says the party was expecting to win more seats and will analyse why it could not do so.
At 1.20 pm, the BJP has won 3 seats and is leading on 29 others in the state.
1.16 pm: The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party has won three seats in Nagaland while the BJP and the Republican Party of India (Athawale) have won two seats each so far.
1.11 pm: “We had said earlier also that BJP will once again form the government with the majority and the results so far are showing that we are forming the government,” Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha told ANI. Saha added that the party will also conduct a post-election analysis as to why it did not win more seats.
1.10 pm: In Tripura, where the BJP is leading in 32 seats and has won one seat. The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura part has also won one seat. The saffron party is ready to accept all demands of the TIPRA Motha Party, other than that for Greater Tipraland, BJP chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty has said, PTI reported.
Both the Left and Tipra Motha Party are leading in 11 seats each, while the Congress has maintained its lead in four seats so far.
1:05 pm: In Meghalaya, the BJP is now leading in only three seats as against five seats earlier. The National People’s Party is still short of reaching the halfway mark.
12:57 pm: After trailing earlier, BJP Nagaland chief Temjen Imna Along is now leading in his constituency of Alongtaki, reports ANI.
12:45 pm: The BJP and the Republican Party of India (Athawale) party have won two seats each in Nagaland. The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party has won one seat in the state so far and leading in 25 seats.
12:35 pm: In Meghalaya, National People’s Party is leading in 21 seats while winning two seats so far. The BJP, the Trinamool Party are leading in five seats each. The United Democratic Party is leading in nine seats, while the Congress and the Voice of the People Party are leading in four seats each.
12:25 pm: The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party and the Republican Party of India (Athawale)have won one seat each in Nagaland, while the BJP has won two seats in the state so far.
12:20 pm: Congress candidate Bayron Biswas leads in West Bengal’s Sagardighi constituency bye-polls.
12:17 pm : Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar is leading in the bye-poll for Kasba Peth Assembly constituency in Maharashtra. In Chinchwad, BJP’s Ashwini Jagtap is leading by nearly 5,000 votes while Nationalist Congress Party’s Nana Kate and Independent candidate Rahul Kalate trail, reports The Indian Express.
12:10 pm: In Nagaland, the BJP has won two seats and leading in 10, while its ally the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party is leading in 22 seats.
12:08 pm: The BJP has crossed the halfway mark in Tripura as it leads in 32 seats. The Congress is trailing with lead in just four seats. The CPI(M) and the Tipra Motha Party are ahead in 11 seats each.
11: 50 am: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party is leading in 24 seats. The incumbent party has won one seat so far.
11.45 am: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-backed Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan leads in Erode East bye-polls with a margin of more than 10,000 votes, reports ANI.
11.40 am: “We are going to get a thumping majority to form the government under the leadership of our Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio,” Yanthungo Patton, Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland told ANI. “This time we’re expecting an increase in the seats compared to last poll results.”
11: 35 am: In Tripura, the incumbent BJP is leading in 30 seats, reaching the halfway mark. However, the Left-Congress alliance along with Tipra Motha Party are close by. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma-led regional Tipra Motha party are ahead in 11 seats each. The Congress is leading in five seats.
11.30 am: In Nagaland, the BJP and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party coalition have emerged as leading parties. The party led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is ahead in 20 seats, while the saffron party is leading in eight seats.
11.25 am: In Meghalaya, the National People’s Party is leading in 24 seats, while the BJP and the Congress are leading in five seats each. The Trinamool Congress and the Voice of the People Party is leading in four seats each, while the United Democratic Party is ahead in eight seats.
10.58 am: Kharge told reporters that the Assembly poll-results in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura will not be a reflection of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, reported ANI. “Usually, northeast parties go with Central government trends but many leaders are committed to national politics,” Kharge said. “They support Congress, secular parties, democracy and constitution.”
10.55 am: “Everybody expected this and our party people were very confident to win,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said. “We are going to win that seat with a huge margin. People are pro DMK [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam] Congress alliance.”
10.50 am: The BJP has won the Lumla Assembly seat of Arunachal Pradesh. The BJP and the Congress are leading in one seat each in bye-elections for two Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra. The Congress is also leading in the Sagardighi constituency in West Bengal and the Erode East Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu. The All Jharkhand Students Union is leading in the Ramgarh Assembly bye-polls.
10.40 am: The BJP is leading in 24 seats in Tripura. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is ahead in 12 seats, while its ally Congress is leading in six seats. The Tipra Motha Party is ahead in 13 seats.
10.20 am: The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party is leading in 13 seats, while the BJP is leading in four seats in Nagaland. The Nationalist Congress Party, and the Lok Janshakti Party(Ram Vilas) have gained lead in two seats, while the Republican Party of India (Athawale) is ahead in two seats in Nagaland.
10.10 am: The National People’s Party is leading in 14 seats in Meghalaya, the United Democratic Party is leading in five seats. Trinamool Congress and Congress is leading in three seats each, while the BJP and Voice of the People Party is ahead in four seats each in the state.
10.00 am: The Tipra Motha Party is leading in three seats in Tripura, while the Congress is leading in four seats. The BJP has gained an overall lead in 14 seats.
9.50 am: The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party is leading in ten seats in Nagaland, while the BJP is leading in three seats. The two parties are contesting the elections in alliance in the state.
9.45 am: In Tripura, BJP is leading in ten seats while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress are leading in two seats each. The CPI(M) and the Congress are contesting the elections in alliance in the state.
9.40 am: In Meghalaya the National People’s Party is leading in six seats while the United Democratic Party is close behind leading in two seats.
9.32 am: In Nagaland, BJP’s sitting MLA Kazheto Kinimi had already won the Akuluto seat in the Zunheboto district uncontested. The Naga Peoples Front, Lok Janshakti Party(Ram Vilas), Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, and Republican Party of India (Athawale) are leading in one seat each.
9.25 am: Congress is behind BJP in Tripura with 29.3% vote share. The party is leading in one seat in the state. The saffron party is leading with 50.1% vote share.
9.15 am: BJP is leading in two seats in Nagaland and one seat in Tripura, according to data shared by the Election Commission. The Trinamool Congress is leading in two seats while the Garo National Council is leading in one seat in Meghalaya.
8.30 am: Counting of votes underway at Tura in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.
8.20 am : Counting for bye-elections for Lumla Assembly seat of Arunachal Pradesh, Ramgarh in Jharkhand, Erode East in Tamil Nadu, Sagardighi in West Bengal and Kasba Peth, Chinchwad Assembly seats of Maharashtra has also begun.
7.58 am: Exit polls have predicted that the BJP will reach the majority mark in Tripura and that the BJP-NDPP alliance will win 42 seats in Nagaland. In Meghalaya, the Conrad Sangma-led NPP is tipped to be the single-largest party with 23 seats.
7.55 am: The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura as well as the bye-polls in five constituencies will begin at 8 am.