All three Northeastern states vote for ruling parties or alliances

New Delhi, Mar 1: The elections to the three north eastern states have gone in favour of ruling parties or alliances.Tripura's ruling Left Front has stormed back to power in Tripura for the fifth straight term, delivering a humiliating blow to the Congress. In Nagaland, the Nagaland People's Front (NPF)-led alliance Thursday has swept back to power in the northeastern hill state for its third consecutive term, garnering a two-thirds majority in the 60-member assembly.In Meghalaya, the Congress has emerged as the single largest party by securing 29 seats, two short of majority in the 60-member assembly. TripuraHundreds of Left activists, mainly from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), celebrated here and across the state as election results left the Congress in gloom.The CPI-M bagged 49 seats while the Communist Party of India (CPI) won one seat.It was the best result for the Left since 1978, when it won a record 56 seats. It increased its 2008 tally by one seat."This is a verdict in favour of development, peace and stability besides good governance," a beaming Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told IANS."People voted and supported the Left Front for taking up development work and for curbing militancy," Sarkar told IANS.Sarkar, 64, who retained his Dhanpur seat in west Tripura, is the only political leader to be chief minister for a record fourth term in Tripura, a Marxist bastion. It was Sarkar's sixth electoral win.While the Congress managed to retain its 2008 tally of 10 seats, its ally the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) drew blank. It had won one seat five years ago.The Trinamool Congress, which fielded 22 candidates in 2008, did not contest this time to prevent a split in non-Left votes. But even that did not help the Congress.The Left Front wrested four seats from the Congress-INPT-NCT (Nationalist Conference of Tripura) coalition. The Congress snatched three seats from the Left."Left Front candidates have increased their winning margin in most seats," an Election Commission official said.The CPI-M's 49 seats is three more than what it got in 2008. The CPI won one seat and lost another.The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc lost the two and one seats they contested.Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury posted the highest winning margin of 12,450 votes.Assembly Speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath, Commerce Minister Jitendra Chowdhury, School Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty, Information Minister Anil Sarkar and Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma won by huge margins.Teacher-turned-politician Anil Sarkar, 75, who is also a poet and writer, was re-elected on CPI-M ticket from Pratapgarh in western Tripura for a record ninth time.Congress leader Ratan Lal Nath won from Mohanpur for the fifth time while state Congress president Sudip Roy Barman retained his Agartala seat for the fourth time.Former Tripura assembly speaker Jitendra Sarkar, who this time contested on Congress ticket, wrested Barjala seat from the CPI-M. He won by 254 votes.CPI-M's Ratan Das wrested Ramnagar after a gap of 25 years. He defeated former state Congress chief Surajit Datta by just 15 votes."This is a great victory for the Left Front. Good governance is one of the key factors," CPI-M spokesperson Gautam Das told IANS.Notable Congress losers included former chief minister Samir Ranjan Barma, party leader Subal Bhowmik and INPT president and former militant leader Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl.Tripura made history when a record 93.57 percent of the 2.3 million voters exercised their franchise Feb 14. There were 249 candidates.The Left has ruled Tripura since 1978 barring one term (1988-93). NagalandThe NPF, the main constituent of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), saw its own tally go up to 38 - up by 12 from the 26 won in the 2008 polls - while coalition partners Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-United won a seat each, election officials here said.The Congress, the main opposition party, won only eight seats, falling almost two-thirds from its tally of 23 in the outgoing assembly.The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) increased its tally by securing four seats, up from the two it won in 2008. Besides, there are eight Independents who also made it to the assembly this time.A total of 188 candidates were in the fray.Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio won the Northern Angami II seat by defeating his nearest Congress rival Kevise Sogotsu by 12,671 votes, which is also the highest margin this time in Nagaland."People have voted us to power once again as they are convinced that the DAN government has brought peace and development to the state. I thank people of Nagaland for reposing their faith in our government," NPF general secretary Kru Zakie told IANS.Rio was, however, not available for comments.Senior Congress leader and former chief minister S.C. Jamir attributed his party's debacle to "money power" of the NPF."It is very sad but the NPF has spoilt the Nagas totally. There is no point having a public meeting in Nagaland these days. Anybody can be bought by money. NPF pumped in huge money to win the elections. The NPF can afford to spend money as they have accumulated a huge sum during the last ten years," said Jamir.While the NPF had a pre-poll alliance with the BJP and JD-U, the Congress had hoped to woo like-minded parties and Independents to make it to power this time.In 2008, the NPF secured 26 seats and the Congress 23. The BJP and NCP won two seats each. Seven Independents also won in 2008. Meghalaya"The people have responded to us for good governance and development," a jubilant Sangma, 47, told IANS by phone from Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills.Sangma retained his Ampati constituency for the fifth successive term, defeating his nearest National People's Party (NPP) rival by more than 9,000 votes. His wife Dikkachi D. Shira and his brother Zenith M. Sangma were victorious from Mahendraganj and Rangsakona constituency.The Congress won four more seats than in 2008."I am glad that the people of Meghalaya reposed faith in the Congress," Sangma said.There were celebrations across Meghalaya in the Congress camp with victory processions being taken out and jubilant supporters and candidates bursting crackers and distributing sweets.Of the 122 Independents, 13, including two former Congress legislators - Saleng A. Sangma and Samuel Sangma - who were denied Congress tickets also won.The electoral battle proved fatal for former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma's NPP as only two of its 32 candidates won.James Sangma, the eldest son of the former Lok Sabha speaker, and Nihim D. Shira were the only NPP candidates who managed to retain their seats in the assembly."If it is the people's mandate, we have to accepted it," Leader of Opposition Conrad K. Sangma, who lost his Selsella seat to Congress rival Clement Marak by a margin of 2,000 votes, told IANS.The United Democratic Party, a key ally in the outgoing Congress-led coalition government, climbed down to eight seats from the 11 it won in 2008."The result is shocking and unbelievable. We were expecting 16 seats, but we got only eight," former chief minister and UDP chief Donkupar Roy told IANS.Roy, who retained his Shella seat for the sixth time, blamed the the use of "money power" by rivals for his party's poor performance.The Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), the oldest regional party in Meghalaya, increased its tally from two to four.Hoping Stone Lyngdoh, the HSPDP supremo, retained his Nongstoin seat for the eighth time, defeating Adviser Pariong.Prominent Congress candidates who won included Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh, Home Minister H.D.R. Lyngdoh, Forests and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong, Urban Affairs Minister Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh and P.N. Syiem.Veteran Congress leaders and former chief minister S.C. Marak and D.D. Lapang also won from Resubelpara and Nongpoh constituencies.The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also won two seats. Deputy Speaker Sanbor Shullai of the NCP retained his South Shillong seat.Speaker Charles Pyngrope was defeated by UDP candidate Jemino Mawthoh by 1,019 votes in the Nongthymmai constituency.Congress minister Shitlang Pale, UDP leaders Bindo M. Lanong and J.A. Lyngdoh were among the prominent losers.