BJP to fight poll alone in Meghalaya, share seats with NDPP in Nagaland

Guwahati, Jan 19: In the run up to the Assembly elections in three NE states – Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura – the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) floated by the BJP, has decided on poll alliance.

The Convenor of NEDA and senior BJP leader Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma who is the chief minister of Assam, today informed the media here that NEDA had already finalized the seat-sharing agreement with Nagaland's NDPP and decided that BJP will fight in 20 seats and NDPP will fight in 40 seats in Nagaland.

He informed that there would be no seat sharing arrangement in Meghalaya and Tripura. In Meghalaya, where the BJP is a constituent of the incumbent NPP-led  ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance MDA, the saffron party will fight the polls alone.

On the other hand, in Tripura, the regional TIPRA MOTHA is not under NEDA and there is a separate BJP group in the state for the alliance with other regional parties.

The BJP became a constituent of MDA in Meghalaya after last Assembly election in 2018 while in Tripura BJP snatched power from the Left Front in the last Assembly polls.

The National People’s Party (NPP) headed by Meghalaya chief minister, Conrad Sangma has already declared the list of party’s poll candidates for all the 6 Assembly constituencies in the state.

The Election Commission of India on January 18 announced the poll schedule for assembly elections in three North Eastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Polls will be held in Meghalaya and Nagaland on February  27 while Tripura will go to poll on February 16.