The BJP and its allies look set to sail through the states of Tripura and Nagaland, where votes will be counted for assembly elections today. Meghalaya appears poised for a pending rally, with Conrad Sangma’s party leading.

The BJP and its ally IPFT (Indigenous Progressive Front of Tripura) hold 34 of Tripura’s 60 seats. But that is down 10 points from 2018, when the BJP alone won 36 seats. IPFT won 8 seats.

This time the BJP leads with 28 seats, well below the “tsunami” that Chief Minister Manik Saha predicted. Asked about it, Mr Saha said the party would have to reflect on why the results were unexpected.

The left, which has ruled the state for 35 years, and its new ally Congress, lead by 14 seats, two fewer.

Tipra Motha of the erstwhile Royal Pradyot Kishore Debbarma debuted in this election and led with 12 seats. The party promoting Greater Tipraland appears to have tribal support from IPFT.

In Meghalaya, Konrad Sangma’s NPP (National People’s Party) leads the ruling coalition with the BJP, this time competing alone, leading in 25 of the state’s 60 seats. At least five more are needed to reach a majority.

The BJP, which leads in three seats, appears to have an answer, given the celebrations that erupted in the party office. The two parties were already falling apart before the election amid corruption allegations against Mr Sangma’s party.

Mr Sangma, apparently negotiating a post-poll coalition, held talks yesterday with the BJP’s northeastern figure, Himanta Biswa Sarma. However, the two leaders played down the incident, saying it was a friendly meeting.

Newcomer Trinamool Congress in Meghalaya state leads by five seats, and defying exit polls forecasts, Congress leads by five seats.

In Nagaland, the BJP and its ally, the NDPP (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party), lead with 38 seats, an increase of eight seats from the previous session. The state also has a female MLA, the first since independence.