By: Abhijit Roy
Voters in three northeastern states who recently voted have placed their trust in the ruling parties and alliances. The results of the assembly elections in the three northeastern states are encouraging for the BJP but concerning for the Congress. This is possibly the first time that the assembly elections in the northeastern states have piqued the interest of the entire country. The good news for the country is that the previously isolated Northeast is becoming more connected to the rest of the country. Without a doubt, the BJP’s victory in Tripura, a former Leftist stronghold, is surprising, while its coalition government has returned to Nagaland.
The BJP has crossed the double-digit threshold in this state for the first time. Where the BJP is strong, it forms governments on its own, while where it is weak, it accepts the role of a minor party. The BJP attributes its success to an increase in vote percentage in Meghalaya. It could be argued that keeping the Northeast on the agenda is advantageous for the BJP. The impact of the Prime Minister’s constant visits to the Northeast is also visible in the election results.
To bring the Northeast into the country’s mainstream, the Prime Minister has stated that it is neither far from Delhi nor far from the heart. However, the BJP’s formation of governments in Tripura and Nagaland, as well as its efforts to form a government in Meghalaya, lays the groundwork for assembly elections in several key states this year. However, a Tripura government led by the BJP and the Indigenous People’s Front is forming. It is attempting to form a new government in Meghalaya with the NPP, which was a partner in the previous alliance. This is what the preliminary results of the talks indicate.
In Nagaland, the BJP is forming a government with the NDPP. The BJP demonstrated its growing mass base by winning 12 seats for the first time. In Nagaland and Meghalaya, the BJP has no qualms about becoming a minor power partner. Indeed, the BJP’s strategies have become increasingly focused on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There was speculation that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra would affect the elections there and that Congress would reap its benefits. That didn’t happen, though. The results of the NE poll represent another setback for Congress, which suffered embarrassing losses in Punjab and Gujarat last year. The party drew a blank in Nagaland, queered the pitch for the Left in Tripura, and failed to prevent the defection of Mukul Sangma to the TMC in Meghalaya. That is bad news for the big old party, which now faces more pressure in other elections this year.
