Assembly election results Live: Saffron pips red in Tripura, spreads to Nagaland; Congress gets Meghalaya upper hand

BJP supporters smear colours on each other to celebrate the performance of their party, which looks set to win the assembly elections in the state, in Agartala on Saturday. (PTI)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surged ahead of the ruling CPI(M) in the assembly elections in Left bastion Tripura on Saturday. Around noon Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP was leading in 40 seats, looking set to take control of the 60-member assembly. BJP leader Ram Madhav said in a press conference in Agartala that the results could be “historic”, though he cautioned against jumping to a conclusion before the final verdict was out.

Madhav also said his party, along with ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), was in a good position in Nagaland. The BJP-NDPP alliance was leading in 32 seats, while the NPF+ was ahead in 24 seats. In Meghalaya, the ruling Congress party established an early lead. By noon the Congress was leading in 28 seats, followed by the NPP in 10 and the BJP in eight seats.

While the Congress has been ruling Meghalaya for 10 years, the Naga People’s Front has been in power in Nagaland since 2003, except for a three-month period of President’s rule in 2008. Tripura went to polls on February 18 and elections were held in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27.