NEW DELHI: The
BJP is poised to retain office in
Tripura and
Nagaland while the National People's Party (NPP), led by chief minister Conrad Sangma, is the front-runner in Meghalaya,
exit polls suggested on Monday after elections concluded in Nagaland and Meghalaya.
In Tripura, three different
exit polls were unanimous in giving a majority to BJP and its ally, the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), in the 60-member assembly. While India Today-Axis My India gave the alliance 36-45 seats, Jan Ki Baat gave it 29-40 seats and Zee News-Matrize 29-36. However, in the Times Now-ETG Research exit poll, the BJP and its ally was shown falling just short, at 21-27 seats. The Congress was shown drawing a blank in all exit polls while its partner, the Left, was predicted to get between 6-11 and 18-24 seats.
Exit poll predictions: As it happened
The Tipra Motha, which entered the poll arena for the first time and which is led by erstwhile Tripura royal Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, was predicted to get between 12 and 14 seats by the various exit polls.
In Nagaland, the incumbent Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-BJP alliance is expected to comfortably retain office. The exit polls gave it an average 42 seats in the House of 60, with Times Now-ETG Research giving it a high of 39-49 seats and Zee News-Matrize giving it 35-43 seats. The Naga People's Front is expected to get six seats and the Congress one, with the rest going to other parties.
Meghalaya is the only state of the three which the pollsters have predicted will see a hung assembly. The NPP and BJP are coalition partners but went to polls separately. The NPP averaged 20 seats across the various exit polls with the BJP lagging behind at six, the same number as the Congress. The Trinamool Congress, which had put up a spirited fight in the state, is expected to get 8-14 seats. The United Democratic Party (UDP) is also seen doing well, with Jan Ki Baat giving it 10-14 seats.