Counting of votes for the assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, and by-elections in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu is underway. The elections were held on April 6, 2021, and the results are expected to be announced later today.
The elections in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland were held for a total of 60 seats each. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping to make inroads into the three states, which have traditionally been ruled by regional parties. The BJP has fielded candidates in all 60 seats in each of the three states.
In Maharashtra, by-elections were held for two seats in the Legislative Assembly. The seats were vacated by the BJP’s Pankaja Munde and the Shiv Sena’s Anil Desai, who both resigned from their posts in 2020. The BJP is hoping to retain the seats, while the Shiv Sena is hoping to make a comeback in the state.
In Tamil Nadu, by-elections were held for one seat in the Legislative Assembly. The seat was vacated by the AIADMK’s V.K. Sasikala, who resigned from her post in 2020. The AIADMK is hoping to retain the seat, while the DMK is hoping to make a comeback in the state.
The elections in the three states and the by-elections in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were held amid tight security. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had deployed over 1.5 lakh personnel to ensure free and fair elections. The ECI had also deployed over 1.2 lakh central paramilitary forces to ensure the safety of the voters.
The turnout in the elections was higher than expected. In Tripura, the turnout was 81.8%, in Meghalaya it was 81.3%, in Nagaland it was 81.2%, in Maharashtra it was 68.2%, and in Tamil Nadu it was 68.3%.
The results of the elections and by-elections are expected to be announced later today. The results will be closely watched as they will give an indication of the political landscape in the three states and the two states. The results will also be closely watched to see if the BJP can make inroads into the three states, and if the AIADMK and DMK can make a comeback in Tamil Nadu.
The elections and by-elections in the five states are seen as a litmus test for the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP is hoping to make inroads into the three states and retain the two seats in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The results of the elections and by-elections will be a key indicator of the BJP’s performance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
