Congress respects the people’s mandate: Rahul Gandhi on northeast polls

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Saturday consolidated its position in the country’s northeast after a landslide election victory in Tripura, ending 25 years of communist rule in the state. BJP had its NE plans cut out since 2014 itself. The state is likely to have a non-Congress government, as the UDP extended its support the National People’s Party (NPP). The resultant broader narrative that started catching the imagination of the masses was that of anti-incumbency.

“I have submitted my resignation to governor and he asked me to continue in office until the new Chief Minister took over the charge”.

Brinda Karat, an opposition leader blamed the left front’s defeat in Tripura on the “unprecedented deployment of money” by the BJP and its Hindu nationalist mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Top party leaders had refrained from making any comment on the results.

The BJP won 35 seats in Tripura’s state legislature against the CPI (M)’s 16 seats, according to India’s Election Commission. Roughly 90 per cent of Nagaland’s population, for example, is Christian.

Sarma said the opponents campaigned on religious lines thereby affecting the prospects of party candidates.

In Nagaland too, the picture has become clear today.

The Church’s diktat, however, had no impact at all.

He said that CPI (M) would continue to oppose the BJP and its “divisive agenda” not only in Tripura but throughout the country.

Neiphiu Rio, who is set to take over again as the next Chief Minister of Nagaland, on Sunday said that his priority would be to bring transparency in governance in the “troubled” state.

Deb said the next government’s priority would be all-round development of Tripura and the people voted for the BJP as there had been total backwardness in the state under the Manik Sarkar government.

Mr Madhav said, the NDPP-BJP alliance will stake claim to form the government in next few days.

Even before the state went to polls on February 27, the BJP had said that it had not ended its partnership with the NPF and that it had merely agreed on a seat-sharing equation with the NDPP.

The Left Front had lost in 1988 Assembly polls to the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samity combine by just one seat.

However, winning in the northeastern region where it used to be a marginal player is a remarkable feat for the BJP. To a large extent, really.

In Meghalaya, a multi-party coalition will be led by BJP ally and its North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) partner National People’s Party (NPP).

In Nagaland, the Congress tally of 21 of the 59 seats – two more than the NPP’s – marks a setback for the party that had bagged 29 seats in 2013 and later won a by-election to dominate the 60-member Assembly with 30 seats. That means the forces to watch in the region are the BJP and the regional parties.