New Delhi: The Election Commission of India will announce the poll schedule for the Legislative Assemblies of three North Eastern states — Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya — today at 2:30 pm. The term of assemblies of Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura is ending on March 12, March 15, and March 22, respectively.


Earlier, the poll panel said that it would visit the three states to review preparedness ahead of the elections.


The three states would be the first to undergo polls this year likely in February-March, reported PTI.


While Tripura has a BJP government, in Nagaland, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party is in power. National People’s Party, the only party from the Northeast to have national party recognition, runs the government in Meghalaya. 


EC Announces Poll Dates For Nagaland, Meghalaya And Tripura | Check Full Schedule


Tripura Legislative Assembly Elections


A four-cornered fight is expected between BJP, Congress, Left, and Trinamool Congress in Tripura where the BJP has changed the CM face to beat anti-incumbency. In 2018, the saffron party won 35 seats and unseated the 20-year incumbent CM, Manik Sarkar of CPI(M). 


20 out of 60 seats were dominated by tribals in the last assembly elections held in the state. In the 2018 Tripura legislative assembly election, BJP won 33 seats, the IPFT won 4 seats, the CPI(M) won 15 seats, and the Congress won 1 seat. 


Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Elections


In Meghalaya, Congress emerged as the largest party in the 2018 assembly election with 21 seats but BJP teamed up with the National People's Party to form the government, with Conrad Sangma as the Chief Minister. 


In the 2018 Meghalaya assembly elections, the Congress won 21 seats, the National People's Party won 19 seats, United Democratic Party won 6 seats, the People's Democratic Front won 4 seats, Independents got 3 seats, BJP and Hill State People's Democratic Party won 2 seats each, and one seat each went to Nationalist Congress Party and Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement.  


Nagaland Legislative Assembly Elections  


Nagaland is likely to see demand for a separate state 'Frontier Nagaland' by tribal groups as a central issue in the polls where Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)-BJP alliance is in power. In 2018, NPF emerged as the single largest party but the NDPP-BJP alliance formed a government with support from other parties.


In the 2018 Nagaland legislative assembly elections, Naga Peoples Front won 26 seats, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party won 18 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party won 12 seats, the National People’s Party won 2 seats, JD-U won 1 seat and 1 seat went to the Independent.