Meghalaya elections end with hung Assembly – Congress wins 21 seats, National People’s Party bags 19
Although the NPP is part of the National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, it did not ally with the BJP for the polls.
The elections in Meghalaya ended with a hung Assembly as the incumbent Congress reduced its seat share to 21 in the 60-member House. The National People’s Party emerged the second largest party with 19 seats to its name, according to the results the Election Commission declared on Saturday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which unseated the Left government in Tripura and has enough to form a government with its alliance partner in Nagaland, won just two constituencies in Meghalaya. The National People’s Party is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, but the two did not contest the elections in Meghalaya in an alliance.
The Congress’ seat share this year fell to 21 from 29 in the 2013 elections, as did the United Democratic Party’s from 12 to six. However, the National People’s Party increased its base from two constituencies to 19 this year. The BJP, too, made some headway from no seats in 2013 to two this year.
The Congress won 28.5% of the votes cast in the elections. Barring the National People’s Party, only one other outfit – the United Democratic Party – got over 10% votes. Independent candidates won 10.8% of all votes in Meghalaya, and the Bharatiya Janata Party had a 9.6% vote share.
Election to one seat, Williamnagar, was countermanded after its Nationalist Congress Party candidate Jonathone Sangma was killed in an explosion on February 18.
