NDA wins RS polls in 4 northeast states

GUWAHATI: The BJP and its allies in the NDA — Mizo National Front (MNF) and National People’s Party (NPF) — grabbed four

Rajya Sabha seats

in four states of the northeast and increased its tally to eight out of total 13 seats in the region.

Except Manipur, where BJP had to fight a fierce political battle against Congress before its ‘royal’ candidate, the titular king of Manipur, Leishemba Sanajaoba emerged victorious, its two partners had easy victories in each seat in Meghalaya and Mizoram where simultaneous elections were held on Friday. BJP won the lone

Arunachal Pradesh

seat without any contest.

But the elections had varied characteristics in Mizoram, Meghalaya and Mizoram. If BJP was pitted against ally NPP in Manipur, they were together in Meghalaya. In Mizoram, the lone BJP MLA abstained from voting either for or against ally MNF.

Out of the remaining five non-NDA seats in the region, three are in Assam where two are with Congress and one with an Independent. Out of the remaining two, one is with CPM in

Tripura

. The MP for the fifth seat in

Nagaland

, KG Kenye, has been suspended by his party, NPF, for going against the party line and voting in favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

BJP had to recalibrate its strategy after political equations changed at a fast pace that reduced the BJP-led coalition government in Manipur to a minority. BJP’s two allies, NPP and AITC, and an Independent with a combined strength of six MLAs, withdrew their support while three of its own MLAs resigned and joined Congress on Wednesday that put chief minister Biren Singh in a tight spot.

The situation further changed on the election day after eight MLAs were not listed as voters as their constituencies were shown as ‘vacant’ in the assembly notification. One of them is Congress defector Th Shyamkumar who was disqualified last March. The remaining seven — three each from Congress and BJP and one AITC legislator — were disqualified by the Speaker and barred from casting their votes.

The picture was strikingly different in Mizoram where the ruling MNF nominee, K Vanlalvena, won and also in Meghalaya where ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) candidate WR Kharlukhi of NPP won with ease. BJP’s candidate Nebam Rebia was declared a winner uncontested in Arunachal Pradesh.

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