Meghalaya Elects Hung Assembly, Cong Largest Party With 21 Seats

• The Congress won 21 seats in Meghalaya, followed by the NPP with 19 seats and the BJP with two
• ‘Other' parties have stamped their seal on 17 seats
• With no single party crossing the halfway mark, the state is headed for a hung Assembly

Follow The Quint for live updates on the Assembly election results in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Election Commission Releases Final Numbers

The Election Commission has released the final numbers for Meghalaya, with the Congress winning 21 seats, NPP winning 19, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning two seats. ‘Other' parties won 17 seats.

Congress and NPP Come Neck-And-Neck, Again

Trends at 5 pm suggest that the Congress has won 21 seats, while the NPP has won 19 and the BJP has won two seats. ‘Other' parties have won 17 seats.

Roads Minister Wins

Meghalaya Roads Minister and Congress candidate Martin D Danggo won from the Ranikor seat, defeating his nearest UDF rival Pius Marwein by over 1,500 votes, reported PTI.

Congress Urban Affairs Minister Loses

Urban Affairs Minister and Congress candidate Ronnie V Lyngdoh lost from Mylliem seat to PDF candidate Hamletson Dohling by over 400 votes, reported PTI.

PM Modi Thanks the People of Meghalaya

In a series of tweets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Meghalaya for supporting the BJP and also congratulated the party workers in the state.

People of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura have spoken!

I thank the people of these states for supporting the good governance agenda and ‘Act East Policy' of @BJP4India & our valued allies. We remain committed to working towards fulfilling the dreams & aspirations of the people.

March 3, 2018

I express my gratitude to the people of Meghalaya for supporting @BJP4Meghalaya. The welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for us. I appreciate the BJP Karyakartas for their continued efforts in the state to serve the people.

March 3, 2018

Incumbent Tripura Assembly Speaker Loses

Meghalaya Assembly Speaker and Congress candidate Abu Taher Mondal lost to National People's Party's (NPP) SG Esmatur Mominin from Phulbari seat by over 2,000 votes, reported PTI.

'Will Keep Cards Close To Chest': Mukul Sangma

“The results were not on expected lines, but I am still looking forward,” said incumbent Chief Minister Mukul Sangma to PTI. Asked if the Congress would be able to form the government again in Meghalaya, Sangma said he would not like to reveal his party's plan now.

"I would like to keep my cards close to the chest," he said.

'Meghalaya Has Given a Fractured Mandate': Ram Madhav

In an interview to CNN-News18, BJP northeast in-charge Ram Madhav said that the mandate in Meghalaya has been fractured and that people have rejected the Congress. They will try for a non-Congress government, he said.

Will Support Any Party Who Works for Welfare: SK Sunn, Independent Candidate

“I will be supporting any party that works for the welfare of the people of the state,” SK Sunn, an Independent candidate who won from Mawphlang constituency in Meghalaya, told ANI.

Mukul Sangma Wins Both Seats

Meghalaya Chief Minister and Congress candidate Mukul Sangma wins from both Ampati and Songsak constituencies, the Election Comission declared.

Sangma, who is the chief minister since 2010, retained Ampati seat defeating his nearest BJP rival Bakul Ch Hajong by over 6,000 votes.

He also won from Songsak constituency defeating his nearest National People's Party rival Nihim D Shira by over 1,300 votes. The BJP was in the third position.

The chief minister's wife, Dikkanchi D Shira, also won from Mahendraganj seat defeating her nearest BJP rival Premananda Koch by over 6,000 votes, reported PTI.

Congress Rushes Top Leaders to Meghalaya

With election trends projecting that the Congress could emerge as the single-largest party in Meghalaya, the party on Saturday, 3 March, rushed two senior leaders to the northeastern state to explore possibilities of forming a government.

According to sources, senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath left for Shillong this morning to work out possible tie-ups with independents in Meghalaya to form a government there.

The Congress currently rules Meghalaya and is set to emerge as the single largest party in the state, according to trends available for most of the seats in the state.

Polling for 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly was held on February 27.

The Congress' move comes in the wake of criticism in the past that the party was caught “napping” in Goa and Manipur, where despite emerging as the single-largest party it failed to form governments there.

Sources said Patel and Nath would land in Shillong post noon and will hold discussions with party leaders there, including outgoing Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.

Meghalaya is one of the five states currently held by the Congress. the other states are Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and Puducherry.

Congress Slip to 23, Other Parties Hold Key

At 1.05 pm, the trend by CNN News18 suggests that Congress is in lead in 22 seats, NPP in 13, and the BJP in six. On the other hand, ‘other' parties hold 18 seats.

Meghalaya: Drama Continues, Congress Slips to 23 Seats

The ‘Others' seem more likely than ever before to hold the key to this election. So, which are the parties that form this (generically named) group? And how many seats have they won or are leading in?

• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) - 1 seat, likely to support a Congress bid to power
• Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) - 2 seats
• United Democratic Party (UDP) - 6 seats
• Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) - 1 seat
• People's Democratic Front (PDF) - 3 seats
• Independent - 4 seats

That's 17 seats in which ‘Others' are set to win. It places them just one seat behind the NPP which is at 18 seats. The Congress is at 21, a full 10 seats away from the magic figure of 31.

In Meghalaya, Mandate Against Congress: Nalin Kohli

“In Meghalaya, the vote is basically against the Congress if you see the performance of other parties. Leaders will discuss if there can be possibility of a post poll alliance”, said Nalin Kohli, the Meghalaya in-charge of the BJP.

Himanta Biswa Sarma To Leave For Meghalaya

“In Meghalaya a divided result is a possibility, we will see that a non-Congress Govt is formed there. Himanta Biswa Sarma ji is leaving for Meghalaya shortly “, said BJP leader Ram Madhav.

Congress Tally Again Shows A Decline

According to trends at 12.03pm, the Congress tally has gone down to 23, with NPP at 12, BJP at 8 and other parties at 16.

Meghalaya Looks Hung

The trends as of 11.49am, show Congress at a constant 26 seats while the NPP has 11, BJP has 8 and other parties have 14.

Meghalaya: The Theatre for Post-Poll Drama?

The Meghalaya election might just turn out to be the most interesting one of them all today. Why? Because no party may reach the magic figure of 31 in the 60-member Assembly. The Congress is currently leading in 27 seats. At second position are the ‘Others', leading in 14 seats. The NPP stands ahead in 10 seats and the BJP in 8.

For all election analysis, click here.

Congress Almost At The Half Way Mark

Trends at 11.28am put Congress very close to the half-way mark at 27, NPP at 10, BJP at 8 while the other parties are at 14. The half-way mark is 31.

Congress Takes Lead Again

According takes lead in 26 seats, according to trends at 11.11am, while the NPP has taken lead in 12, BJP in 5 and other parties in 15.

Neck-And-Neck Battle Between Congress And Opposition

Congress leads have fallen slightly according to trends at 10.53am to 23, while the NPP is at 14, BJP is at 5 and other parties are at 17.

"Will Win In All Three States": Kiren Rijiju

The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. We are confident of forming Govt in all three, said Kiren Rijiju to news agency ANI.

Trends Show A Likely Hung Assembly

Trends at 10.38 am, show Congress with 25 seats while NPP is at 14, BJP at 5 and Others at 15.

Congress Goes Ahead

Trends at 10.23 am show Congress ahead in the lead in 22 seats, NPP in 14 and other parties in 15.

Mukul Might Need To Do Business With Conrad To Form Govt

The Mukul Sangma-led Congress may emerge the single largest party today. However, it will have to join hands with Conrad Sangma of the NPP, and other smaller parties, in order to attain the number they need to form the government.

Congress Lead Drops Slightly, NPP Catches Up

The Congress lead saw a slight dip at 10.07 am, with the number of seats in its kitty falling to 18. The NPP took its tally to 14, the BJP to 5 and others parties to 15 seats.

Congress Cements Lead, Other Parties Catch Up

Trends by CNN News18 at 9.53 am show the other parties raise their seat tally to 12. The Congress' tally stands at 19, the NPP at 9 and the BJP at 4.

ECI Trends Show Congress Leading Race

As per updates from The Election Commission of India, the Congress is leading in 7 seats, the UDP in 3, NPP in 2, BJP in 1 and other candidates and parties in 3, ANI reports.

Congress Continues Lead

Trends at 9.38 am show Congress continuing its lead at 16 seats, the NPP in the lead in 9, the BJP in 4 and “Others” in 8 according to CNN News18.

Congress Takes Leads

Trends at 9.27 am saw the Congress surging ahead in 15 seats. The NPP is ahead in 6, while the BJP is ahead in 2. “Other parties” are ahead in 7, according to CNN News18.

Huge Crowds For Counting

Huge crowd has gathered at Shillong Polo ground where people can see counting trends through a projector.

Meghalaya: Will 'Others' Play Kingmaker?

Of the 19 seats for which early leads are coming in, ‘Others' are leading in 7 seats. The Congress is leading in 9 and the NPP in 2, while the BJP shows leads in just 1.

The magic figure in the 60-member Assembly is 31. If both the Congress and the NPP fail to reach that mark, those in the ‘Others' category will assume a much greater importance, and potentially turn kingmakers.

Trends show Congress and NPP Neck-to-Neck

Trends show Congress lead in 3 seats, NPP in 3 and BJP in 1 while the other parties lead in four states.

Counting begins in Meghalaya

The counting for the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly began at 8am.

Police Assure Adequate Security

SP of Shillong, D Marak said told ANI:

There is adequate security at counting centres and we hope there will be no untoward incident and counting will pass off smoothly.

Will Wait for People's Verdict: HM Shangpliang

Congress candidate from Mawsynram constituency HM Shangpliang told ANI that he was confident of the party's victory in the state.

We will wait for the verdict of the people. People want change in Mawsynram.

Close Race in Meghalaya, Exit Polls Predict

In Meghalaya where the Congress is in power, the JanKiBaat-NewsX exit poll shows that the National People's Party (NPP) is set to gain with 23-27 seats while the BJP will get 8-12 seats, with vote shares of 39 and 12 percent respectively. The Congress is predicted to win 13-17 seats with a vote share of 21 percent and others likely to get 2 to 6 seats.

In Meghalaya, the CVoter exit poll predicts a close finish, with the Congress likely to get 13-19 seats and the NPP 17 to 23 seats, with vote shares of 36.5 and 29.4 percent respectively.

The BJP is likely to only get 4-8 seats with a vote share of 16.6 percent. The UDP-HSPDP is likely to bag 8-12 seats and 8.8 percent vote share, while others may get 5-9 seats and a vote share of 8.7 percent, the poll said.

Assembly Polls: Voter Turnout Stands at 67%

In 59 seats of Meghalaya, polling was conducted in all 3,025 polling stations recording a turnout of 67 percent.

Over 18 lakh electors – more than 9 lakh females and 8.96 lakh males – turned out to vote on the polling day.

Three-Tier Security Arrangement for Counting Day

Counting would begin from 8 am in all the states amid tight security, Election Commission officials said.

In Meghalaya, the Congress which has been in power for a decade fielded 59 candidates, while the BJP put up nominees in 47 constituencies. For the first time, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is contesting from two seats.

Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor said a three-tier security arrangement has been made at all the 13 counting centres and 11 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed here for the counting process.

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