Assembly Elections: Tripura, Nagaland And Meghalaya To Go To Polls In February, Counting On 2 March

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has announced that assembly polls will take place in Tripura on 16 February, and in Nagaland and Meghalaya on 27 February.

The counting of votes for all three states will take place on 2 March.

The term of Nagaland Assembly ends on 12 March, for the Meghalaya Assembly it ends on 15 March, and for the Tripura Assembly it ends on 22 March.

All three state assemblies have a 60 members each. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) currently governs Tripura, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) governs Nagaland, and the National People's Party is currently in power in Meghalaya.

Tripura has a population of around 37 lakh. The state was ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for 25 years, but in the 2018 state elections, the BJP broke the Left cidatel to form the government with their ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The BJP, under Chief Minister Manik Saha, is seeking to retain power in the state, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is looking to make a comeback.

The state has a significant tribal population, and their support will be crucial for any party looking to form the government.

Nagaland, located in the northeastern region of India, has a population of around 20 lakh.

The state has seen political instability in the past, and it remains to be seen how the elections will pan out this time.

Meghalaya, also located in the northeastern region of India, has a population of around 30 lakh.

The state is currently governed by NPP, which is the only political party from the northeast to have a national party recognition.

The party formed the government with the support of other regional parties. The Indian National Congress and the BJP are the main opposition parties in the state.

Overall, the political landscape in these three states is diverse and complex. It will be interesting to see how the elections play out.

These three states are among the nine that will hold elections this year in run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

(With inputs from PTI)