The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday announced the schedule for election to state assembles of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura. Polling in Tripura would be held on February 16, Nagaland and Meghalaya head to polls on February 27. Counting for the three elections takes place on March 2.
Whilst the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be seeking a continued term in Tripura, the Left which has reached an electoral understanding with Congress in the state is hoping to make a comeback.
The elections would also be important for Mamata Banerjee-spearheaded Trinamool Congress (TMC) which is looking to spread its influence beyond West Bengal. Following a failed attempt in Goa last year, it is investing its energies in Tripura and Meghalaya.
The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is the ruling party in Nagaland while the National People’s Party (NPP) is the only political party from the northeast that is recognised as a national party and is at the helm in Meghalaya. BJP is only the junior partner in both the governments and would be trying to expand its footprint. Party President J.P. Nadda in his recent address at the party’s national executive had called upon members to ensure the victory of the party in all the nine assembly elections scheduled for this year.
Other than the three states, the EC also announced by-polls to six assembly seats across five states and to the Lok Sabha constituency of Lakshadweep. The assembly seats include Tamil Nadu’s Erode East, West Bengal’s Sagardighi and Maharashtra’s Kasba Peth and Chinchwad, Lumla in Arunachal Pradesh and Ramgarh in Jharkhand. They go to polls on February 27 with results slated for March 2.
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