State elections in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura during 16-27 February
Will kick off a series of state elections across India, and could be a litmus test for the central government which has highlighted its focus on the eastern states for over nine years
State elections to elect the MLAs in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura will be held during 16-27 February 2023, the Election Commission (EC) has said.
In Tripura, the polls will be held on 16 February (Thursday) and counting will be done on 2 March (Thursday). In Meghalaya and Nagaland, the elections will be held simultaneously on 27 February (Monday), while the counting will be done on 2 March.
The EC stated it has prepared the schedule after taking into consideration climatic conditions, academic calendar, board examination, major festivals, prevailing law and order situation in these states, availability of Central Armed Police Forces, time needed for movement, transportation and timely deployment of forces and in-depth assessment of other relevant ground realities.
These elections will kick off a series of state elections across India, and could be a litmus test for the central government which has highlighted its focus on the eastern states for over nine years.
In Meghalaya, the current Chief Minister is the 1978-born Conrad Kongkal Sangma, who is a graduate from Wharton School of Business and Imperial College, University of London. He belongs to the National People’s Party (NPP), the only recognised National Party from Northeast and founded by Purno Agitok Sangma, a veteran from the Congress Party which had expelled him in the 90s.
Bordering Bangladesh and Assam, Meghalaya has a strong Bengali population, and West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress has a stronger presence than believed. The BJP supports the NPP.
Neiphiu Rio (born 1950) is the CM of Nagaland. He is the leader from the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which is in power with BJP’s support.
Tripura is India’s third smallest state, and the BJP is in power with Manik Saha as the CM. Born in 1953, Saha became the CM in May 2022.
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