Call it a technologically coded loop, or déjà vu, but predictably, and in line with the exit polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party retained Tripura by a slim margin, won a comfortable majority in Nagaland with its pre-poll alliance partner, the NDPP and even in Meghalaya which threw up a split verdict might very well join the government led by the incumbent chief minister’s NPP.
Almost on cue, the Congress fared miserably and in a region where the religious composition is hardly favourable to the saffron party. For those looking hard for a silver lining for the grand old party, it came in the form of the result in two byelections, one in West Bengal and the other in Maharashtra, but a larger trend remains to be seen. However, as a result of the win in West Bengal, the Congress is now back in the Legislative Assembly there.
In Tripura, the BJP had its highest stake, trying to retain a state which, after five consecutive terms of power by the Left, swung from one end of the political spectrum to the extreme other in the last election. From just one seat out of 60 in the small state, the BJP scripted history in 2018. It did not miss its mark and failed in its mission to retain the state.
The BJP, in the end won 31 seats, a slim margin, even as the Left-Congress alliance did not even bag a quarter of the seats. The story was the rise of a new party led by a royal, the Tipra Motha Party, which cornered most of the seats not only the tribal belt, almost matching the Left-Congress front, but also split the Opposition vote adequately to give the BJP an edge. Though it has a majority, the BJP may invite the Tipra Motha to join its government, if it can waive its biggest precondition — a constitutional guarantee for a larger Tipraland.
The election was closest in Meghalaya, where for the first time the BJP contested all the seats but could barely make a mark. It could win only three of the 59 out of 60 seats that went to polls. The Congress would consider itself unlucky, with a recent split in its legislature party leaving it depleted, and the Trinamul Congress made the most of it.
The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) is a new star in the Northeast, and Conrad Sangma has left a big mark. He will in most likelihood re-invite the BJP to join the government.
In Nagaland, the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP were able to bag the majority after contesting all 60 seats. A state whose Assembly had the peculiar phenomenon of not having a single MLA in the Opposition ranks saw the partners fight the polls in the 40-20 ratio and sail past the halfway mark.
The Congress, with its poor showing, can lick its wounds and pray that it sole spots of hope, Kasba Peth, Pune, where it defeated the BJP in its traditional stronghold, and Sagardighi, Murshidabad, where it delivered a shock blow to the Trinamul albeit aided by the Left, become part of a larger, state-wide trend. Else, it is a gloomy day for the party.
The highlight of the campaign, and the entire Northeast effort, was how the BJP changed the entire engagement of Delhi with the region, giving it the highest priority and high engagement. It is a proof of the will of the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah, that it could become a force in the region. And with ease, script history again.
