Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Act East' policy seems to have paid off in the Northeast assembly elections. The BJP on Thursday retained power in at least two of the three northeastern states — Meghalaya, Tripura, and Nagaland — that went to polls last month. While in Tripura, the BJP got an absolute majority, securing 32 seats, the party along with its ally NDPP retained power in Nagaland with 37 seats between them. The Meghalaya mandate was largely in favour of the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma's NPP, but the election failed to throw up a decisive winner.
Here are the top development around the three-state Northeast elections:
1. The BJP and its ally, the Indigenous Progressive Front of Tripura, returned to power with a decisive mandate. The BJP won 32 seats while the IPFT bagged one seat. The mandate means Chief Minister Manik Saha will return to office for another term.
2. The alliance of arch rivals Congress and Left Front managed to secure just 14 seats between them. Debutant Tipra Motha Party, led by Pradyot Debbarma, emerged as the second-largest party in the state.
3. Soon after the BJP's win, PM Narendra Modi tweeted: "Thank you Tripura! This is a vote for progress and stability. @BJP4Tripura will continue to boost the state's growth trajectory. I am proud of all Tripura BJP Karyakartas for their spectacular efforts at the grassroots."
4. In Nagaland, the BJP and its ally, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, won 37 seats – a rise of seven seats over the last elections. While CM Rio's party, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, won 25 seats, its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, secured 12 constituencies.
5. The state also achieved a milestone on Thursday. Nagaland for the first time elected two women MLAs Salhoutuonuo Kruse and Hekani Jakhalu. Both women are from the NDPP.
6. The mandate also brought Neiphiu Rio back as the Chief Minister of Nagaland for a record fifth straight term.
7. Meanwhile, the Congress's woes continued in the northeast, as it failed to open its account in Nagaland again. Even in the 2018 assembly election, the party had failed to make a mark.
8. In Meghalaya, the NPP and BJP announced a post-poll alliance. With a fractured mandate in sight, Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma called Union Home Minister Amit Shah to "seek his support and blessings" on Thursday. The alliance came just a day after Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hosted a late-night meeting with Sangma in Guwahati, sparking speculation about the alliance.
9. Despite the tie-up, the NPP-BJP alliance lack 3 seats to go past the majority of 31 in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly.
10. The Trinamool Congress also opened its account in Meghalaya this year with 5 seats.