NEW DELHI, March 14: An opinion poll, conducted by ABP-CVoter, has predicted that the National People’s Party (NPP) will win both Shillong and Tura seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The eight states in the Northeast, including Sikkim, have altogether 25 seats. The survey predicted victory for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 21 of them. Four seats were given to others.
The survey findings and projections are based on CVoter Opinion Poll Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI), conducted among confirmed voters. It is claimed that the survey will give the closest possible trends with a 5% plus or minus margin of error although there is ample time for any change on the day of voting.
The survey also predicted that the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) will win the lone seat in Nagaland. Other poll surveys have also given a majority of the seats to NDA in the Northeast.
The Congress has fielded its state chief and MP Vincent H Pala in Shillong and Gambegre MLA Saleng Sangma in Tura. The NPP has fielded Cabinet Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh in Shillong and MP Agatha Sangma in Tura. The TMC has fielded Zenith Sangma in Tura and is silent on the Shillong seat. The BJP is yet to announce its candidate in either of the seats.
With all major national and regional parties like BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, United Democratic Party and Voice of the People Party putting up their candidates, Shillong and Tura will see multi-cornered contests.
The BJP rules Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh and is a constituent of the ruling coalitions in Meghalaya and Nagaland. In Sikkim, it is an ally of the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha. The only state in the region where the BJP is in the opposition is Mizoram.
According to the survey, NDA is poised to get the highest vote share in Manipur and Arunachal of all states in the region. It predicted that the BJP will win 2 seats in Tripura, 2 in Arunachal and 1 in Manipur.
Assam accounts for 14 of the 25 seats in the region. The survey predicted that the NDA will win 12 of them.
