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Saffron surge in Northeast

By The Assam Tribune

AGARTALA/SHILLONG/KOHIMA, March 3 - Continuing its winning streak, the BJP today wrested Tripura, the last Left bastion, and received invitation to be part of the government in Nagaland, while Meghalaya elected a hung Assembly.

The BJP, which was hitherto a marginal player in Tripura politics, having failed to clinch even a single seat in the State in the last polls, has already won a majority on its own, pocketing 32 seats in the 60-member Assembly. It was leading in three more seats.

Elections were held in 59 seats in all three States due to different reasons despite them having 60-member Houses.

BJP ally, Indigenous People�s Front of Tripura (IPFT), won eight seats. The CPI(M), which ruled Tripura for 25 years running, won 16 seats.

Nagaland headed for a hung Assembly with no party or pre-poll alliance having a majority. However, the BJP received invitation from NPF leader and Chief Minister TR Zeliang to join the new government. The BJP had parted ways with the NPF just ahead of the polls and joined hands with the newly launched NDPP of Neiphiu Rio.

The Congress, which was in power in Meghalaya since May 2009, failed to win a majority but emerged the single largest party with 21 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar has won one seat.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the BJP�s impressive performance in Tripura Assembly polls people�s answer to �fear, lies and confusion� being spread against his government, and targeted the Congress, saying it was never so diminished as a party as it is now. � PTI

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