Exit poll gives BJP, alliance partners Tripura, Nagaland

Meghalaya could see a hung house, according to an exit poll

NEW DELHI | Updated: 28 February, 2023 12:09 am IST

Exit poll gives Meghalaya a hung House

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) juggernaut seems unstoppable, with the latest exit poll results from the northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya giving the party something to cheer about.

The Jan Ki Baat exit poll predicted a BJP-led alliance could return to power in Tripura as well as Nagaland.

The BJP, which created quite a sensation by winning the 2018 assembly election and ending the quarter-century communist rule, is expected to return to power in Tripura with 29-40 seats and 39 to 43 per cent of the vote share.

The indigenous TIPRA Matha, which has made huge strides in recent times, is expected to garner 10-14 seats with 15 to 22 per cent of the vote. CPM and its allies might have to settle between 9-16 seats with 37 to 41 per cent of the vote.

The BJP will see a majority of the Bengali-speaking population siding with it, while TIPRA, understandably, will corner most of the tribal votes. Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s PM Awas Yojna, which has garnered quite a bit of goodwill across the country, will see the party making inroads among the pockets of Tripuri and Debbarma communities.

In terms of top BJP leaders, incumbent Chief Minister Manik Saha is expected to win Town Bordowali, while Union Minister Pratima Bhaumik is expected to win Dhanpur. Interestingly, the exit poll also gives CPM bastion Khowai to BJP.

Meanwhile, in the 60-member Nagaland assembly, the BJP-NDPP is expected to retain power with a thumping win, bagging 35-40 seats. Interestingly, in a sign of the waning influence of Congress, the exit poll predicted that the party would fail to open its account in the state.

However, Meghalaya is all set to witness a hung assembly and everything will come to light regarding the possible post-poll alliances.

The BJP is expected to win anything between 3-7 seats, while CM Conrad Sangma’s NPP is expected to win 11-16 seats. The ruling alliance partner UDP could win anything between 10-14 seats.

Surprisingly, the exit poll predicted that Congress would win between 6 and 11 seats, while the Trinamool Congress would win between 9 and 14 seats.