BJP retains power in Northeastern states

New Delhi: Maintaining status quo in the Northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland, the BJP and its allies returned to power in the results declared Thursday.

The party overcame a Left-Congress alliance and the TIPRA Motha, which had emerged as a force to reckon with in tribal seats, to bag 32 seats in Tripura, two more than the halfway mark.

It retained power in Nagaland along with senior alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

In Meghalaya, BJP’s senior ruling ally National People’s Party (NPP) emerged as the single-largest party – both are expected to tie up again after fighting the elections separately.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi credited the BJP’s consistent victory in elections to a ‘triveni’ of the work done by its governments, their work culture and the dedication of party workers.

Addressing party workers at the BJP’s headquarters here to congratulate them on the party’s performance in the Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya assembly elections, Modi said the poll results show to India and the world the people’s faith in democracy and democratic institutions in the country.

He said the way the northeast poll results have been extensively highlighted, it shows the region is neither distant from ‘Dilli’ (Delhi) nor ‘Dil’ (heart).

BJP president J P Nadda credited the party’s success in the northeast to Prime Minister Modi’s efforts to bring it into the mainstream and the policy decisions to develop the region.

Nadda said the Congress considered the northeast its ATM, but Modi made the region corruption-free and ushered in peace and development.