Battle For North East : EC Announces Poll Dates for Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya

Picture Courtesy : Hindustan Times

Assembly elections in Tripura will be held on February 18 while two other northeastern states of Meghalaya and Nagaland will go to polls on February 27, the Election Commission announced .

According to media reports, Chief Election Commissioner AK Joti said the results of the three states will be out on March 3.

The term of the Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura assemblies is ending on March 6, March 13 and March 14 respectively. The three assemblies have 60 members each.

The notification for Tripura will be issued on January 24, beginning the process of filing of nominations. January 31 will be the last date for filing papers. The scrutiny will take place on February 1 and February 3 will be the last date for withdrawal from the electoral battle.

For Meghalaya and Nagaland, the poll notification will be out on January 31, while the last date for filing nominations will be February 7. The last date for Withdrawal of candidature is February 12, Jot I said at a press conference.

The elections are an acid test for the BJP, which has been trying to emerge as a  potent force in the North East. There will be pressure on the Congress to hold on to their states too . The Left will be aiming to retain their hold in Tripura.

In the new year these assembly polls are crucial for both BJP and the Congress as they gear up to the 2019 Lok Sabha Polls .  It may be recalled that towards the end of the year too – Two other states goes to the polls – Madhya Pradesh,  Rajasthan.