BJP+IPFT regain lead in Tripura, Tipra leads in 11

The Bharatiya Janata Party and ally Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura regained their lead in the Tripura assembly election, with leads in 32 out of 60 constituencies.

At press time, the IPFT+BJP were ahead in 32 out of the 60 seats in the state, with the CPI-M and Congress, fighting together for the first time, ahead in 16 seats. Tipra Morcha, which was expected to sweep the tribal seats, was ahead 11 seats.

In Nagaland, the NDPP+BJP was ahead in 35 of the 60 seats in the state. The Naga Peoples Front was ahead in three seats and the Congress in two.

The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and BJP had a pre-poll alliance and contested the elections on a 40:20 seat sharing basis.

The Naga Peoples' Front (NPF) contested 22 seats and the Congress, which ruled the state till 2003 and does not have any member in the current house, contested 23 seats.

In Meghalaya the ruling NPP in Meghalaya was leading in 25 seats, while the BJP, Congress and TMC were ahead in five seats each.

Meghalaya has 60 seats, but polling in the Sohiong seat was adjourned due to the death of a candidate.

As exit polls predicted a hung assembly, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday night, fuelling speculations of a post-poll tie-up. The NPP and BJP together could easily cross the majority mark of 31.

Sangma's NPP and the BJP ran the last government together as part of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) but fought the elections on their own.