A tale of two parties

After results of the February 2023 assembly elections were declared on March 2, the outcome was neither surprising nor unexpected for various reasons. In Nagaland the NDPP-BJP alliance managed to obtain a huge majority of 37 seats in a house of 60. At one point of time during the election, the two allies were literally indulging in proxy war in the numbers game. It became an open secret that many disappointed ticket aspirants from NDPP as well as BJP were advised by the patrons of the parties, to as NCP or LJP(RV) or NPP candidates. The NCP headed by Sharad Pawar is against BJP while LJP(RV)on the other hand, is a national ally of the BJP at the centre. Even if the two parties have opposite leanings, in Nagaland it wouldn’t matter since power knows no boundary. This happened in 2015 when Congress joined a coalition with BJP as a partner in Nagaland. In the recent election, the party contested 23 seats but drew a blank. Even in 2018 Congress drew a blank in the 18 constituencies it contested. Congress vote share has been dropping since 2003 and this is a serious issue which the party needs to address, if it wants to remain relevant. In Meghalaya National People’s Party (NPP) emerged as the single-largest party, winning 26 of the 57 it contested with a vote share of 31.49%. The BJP, which contested all 60 assembly constituencies had brought star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief J P Nadda and Shah, but managed to win only two seats with a vote share of 9.33%. The TMC contested 56 seats and won 5 with a vote share of 13.78. TMC had no MLA in the previous house. The Congress contested all 60 seats(like the BJP) in a leap of faith but could win only 5 seats and a vote share of 13.14%, marginally lesser than the poacher of its MLAs, the TMC(13.78%). The Congress fielded new faces and it worked but only to the extent of winning 5 seats. If the Congress continues to work hard it can do better in the next assembly election in 2028. The TMC had predicted it would strike gold in Meghalaya when 12 Congress MLAs led by their leader and former chief minister Mukuk Sangma joined the party. Unfortunately, the voters in Meghalaya are not prepared to accept a West Bengal –based and centric party. The NPP has not yet called on the United Democratic Party(UDP) with which it had an alliance. The UPD contested 46 seats and won 11 with a vote share of 16.21%. The other regional party HSPDP with which NPP is already talking for a post poll coalition won two seats and a vote share of 3.56% out of 11 it contested. The People’s Democratic Front(PDF) which contested nine seats won two with a vote share of 1.88%. Two independent candidates also won election this time. In Meghalaya the BJP has been rejected by the people and can only fight election with help of local parties. This is amplified in Nagaland where the local parties have been the BJP’s biggest and best bet to rise. In Meghalaya the BJP is not ascending despite huge potential while in Nagaland it is gaining ground not due to its ideology but because it is in power at the Centre.