What the North-East poll results reveal

The BJP’s wins mark a consolidation of the inroads it first made in the region in 2018 and will give more credence to its claim of being a pan-India party

The outcome of elections in the North-East has always had a symbiotic relationship with the political dynamics at the Centre — the party in charge of the Union government always starts with an edge in these states, given their economic, infrastructural and developmental dependence. The results of the elections in three northeastern states announced on Thursday followed the same patterns, with some region-specific takeaways. In Tripura, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, appeared set to retain power, beating the Left-Congress alliance and the Tipra Motha Party, which impressed on debut. In Nagaland, the National Democratic Progressive Party and the BJP crossed the majority mark. And in Meghalaya, the National People’s Party appeared within striking distance of forming a government, with former allies United Democratic Party putting in a strong performance, and the Trinamool Congress and the Congress underperforming.

The outcome of elections in the North-East has always had a symbiotic relationship with the political dynamics at the Centre (HT PHOTO)

The wins, though slimmer in margin than what many had predicted, will be welcomed by the BJP in a region where demographics and local dynamics didn’t offer a conducive environment for its usual brand of politics. The wins mark a consolidation of the inroads it first made in the region in 2018 and will give more credence to its claim of being a pan-India party. It will ring as an endorsement of the time and political capital invested by the top leadership, led by the Prime Minister, in a region often ignored for its lack of electoral heft. But it will also show that anti-incumbency, emotive campaigns and smart Opposition strategies can still keep polls competitive. It’s now over to Karnataka.