Tripura, Nagaland, Megalaya polls: Battle between Left, Right and Centre

Two of the three north-east states that go to polls next month were carved out of Assam— Nagaland in 1963 and Meghalaya in 1972. Tripura, which was a princely state during the British rule, attained statehood fairly late, only in 1972. Tripura also has the most number of electors (over 25.69 lakh), followed by Meghalaya (18.3 lakh) and Nagaland (11.89 lakh).

BJP has had a minor presence in these three states, though after its Assam victory it has stepped up its activities in the region through its North-East Democratic Alliance. It is present in Nagaland as partner of the ruling party, Naga People’s Front. Congress is the ruling party in Meghalaya and holds a sixth of the seats in Tripura and a little less than that in Nagaland. The Left, led by Communist Party of India (Marxist), is firmly entrenched in Tripura. Although the number of women legislators in states is quite low in India, the situation is far worse in these three states. Nagaland, for instance, hasn’t had a female lawmaker ever since it came into being. Most of the seats in Nagaland and Megalaya are tribal. Here’s a look at the electoral history of the three states...

Nagaland
SEAT SHARE OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN STATE ASSEMBLY

Tripura
MANIK SARKAR CM SINCE 1998, 25 YEARS OF LEFT RULE

Meghalaya
POLITICAL SCENCE DOMINATED BY CONG