The counting of votes for the Legislative Assembly elections in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya will begin from 8 am on Saturday.
Tripura went to polls on February 18 while elections were held in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27.
Although the three states have 60 seats, elections were held for 59 seats in each of them.
A CPI (M) candidate died in Tripura and a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in Meghalaya, which resulted in countermanding of the polls in one seat in each of the states.
Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDDP) chief Neiphiu Rio has been declared elected unopposed in Nagaland.
Over 50% voters turned up for polling in Meghalaya. While there 68% voter turnout in Nagaland, Tripura saw 90.58% voter turnout.
Exit polls have predicted major gains for the BJP, indicating the possibility of it being able to overthrow 25-year-old old Left government in Tripura and also make inroads in Meghalaya and Nagaland where regional parties are trying to dominate.
The CPI(M) led Left Front has ruled Tripura since 1993 under Chief Ministers Dasaratha Deb (1993-1998) and Manik Sarkar (1998-2018).
In Tripura, the BJP is contesting in 50 seats and left nine seats for its new ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).
Driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign, the BJP is looking to expand its political footprint in the Northeast after forming governments in three states in the region-Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
The Congress is banking heavily on Meghalaya where it has ruled for more than a decade to retain its dominance in the region.
The Tripura election is crucial for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) as it is the only state other than Kerala where the CPM-led Left Front is in power.
Meghalaya is witnessing a quadrangular contest between Congress, BJP and two main regional opposition parties – the United Democratic Party (UDP) and late Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP).
Both regional parties are part of BJP’s northeast alliance called NEDA but they have not contested in alliance with BJP.
The Congress fielded 59 candidates in Meghalaya where it has ruled for a decade. Seven MLAs from Congress have left the party and joined mostly NPP. Six independents who were backing Congress government have withdrawn support and joined NPP and BJP, which has put up nominees in 47 constituencies.
In Nagaland, the Naga People’s Front (NPF) is hoping to stage a comeback. It has been in power since 2003 except for a brief time in 2008 when the President’s rule was imposed.
The BJP has joined hands with the NDPP, which was floated by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio after he broke away from NPF.
The NDPP is contesting on 40 seats and the BJP on 20 seats. The Congress is contesting only in 18 seats, two less than the BJP. (DH)
