BJP-led alliances racing ahead in Tripura, Nagaland in early trends
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Agartala: Early results from vote counting shows the BJP surging ahead in several seats in Tripura, where it is seeking a second term.
The incumbent party crossed halfway mark in at least 39 out of 60 seats, visibly emerging to lead the trend.
Leading in six seats Tipra Motha led by former royal Pradyot Manikya Debbarma is making its presence felt, eyeing tribal vote pushing for a Greater Tipraland.
The Congress-CPM alliance, rivals turned bedfellows, is leading in 15 seats.
The BJP came to power in the CPM bastion winning 36 seats thus ending its 35-year old rule in 2018 polls.
Strangely enough, the vote share of the CPM is just 1 per cent less than that of the BJP; however this did not reflect on the seats it won, just 16.
The BJP hast taken onboard the tribal party, Indigenous Progressive Front of Tripura, or IPFT, last time despite gaining comfortable majority.
This time Chief Minister Manik Saha expressed confidence in pulling off majority without having to seek help from the ally.
It tried vainly to forge an alliance with Tipra Motha but talks failed after the tribal party stuck to its demand for a separate state.
The CPM and the Congress have suffered massive erosion in their support base forcing the former rivals to join hands to stop the BJP.
In Nagaland, the BJP-led coalition is all set to pull off a landslide as the party and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) are ahead in 50 out of 60 seats.
If the trend were to continue as the counting progresses in coming hours the party would clearly be past the majority mark of 31
The Naga People's Front (NPF) leads in six seats, while the Congress is tied to just one seat.
Despite ruling the state until 2003, the Congress does not have any member in the current House.
The BJP is a junior partner in the leading coalition, contesting in 20 seats and its ally NDPP fights in 40.
With inputs from NDTV and other sources