No hung assembly, NDA to form govt in all three NE states: Himanta

Asserting there will not be hung assembly in either Tripura, Nagaland or Meghalaya, as predicted in some exit polls, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the NDA will form governments with absolute majority in all the three northeastern states.

Sarma said no NDA partner will go into any alliance with either Congress or the Trinamool Congress after the results are declared on Thursday. “There will be no hung assembly. The NDA will form governments in all the three states,” he said at a press conference in Guwahati.

Several exit polls have predicted hung assemblies in Tripura and Meghalaya although the NDA will be the largest block. Only in Nagaland, surveys have predicted the return of the NDA to power with an absolute majority.

Also read: Tripura polls: BJP will form next govt, says Sarma as CM Saha files nomination

When asked about candidates for the chief minister’s post in the three states, Sarma said there will be a status quo in Tripura and Nagaland. “Tripura will have a BJP CM, while we are in a coalition government in Nagaland,” said the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the regional wing of NDA.

In Meghalaya, the chief minister will be decided after considering the number of seats won by the BJP, he added. “However, there will be no alliance with the TMC and Congress in any state,” Sarma asserted.

Currently, Tripura has a BJP chief minister, while the governments in Nagaland and Meghalaya are led by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the National People’s Party (NPP), respectively.

Elections were held in Tripura on February 16, and in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27. Results will be declared on March 2.

(With Agency inputs)