New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to make huge gains in the northeast by winning Tripura and Nagaland, and also increasing its tally in Meghalaya, exit polls on Monday predicted.According to NDTV, an aggregate of various exit polls indicates that BJP’s alliance government would come to power in Nagaland with its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). In Tripura, however, the ruling BJP’s performance may not match its 2018 tally but is expected to retain power. It had single-handedly crossed the halfway margin to form the government in Tripura the last time. The saffron party is expected to win at least seven seats in Meghalaya, up from two assembly seats it had won in the 2018 polls.The exit polls predict that the ruling coalition of NDPP and BJP in Nagaland could secure 42 seats while the Naga People Front is expected to win six seats and Congress one. The total number of seats are 60, and the majority mark is 31.In Meghalaya, the ruling National People’s Party is expected to win 20 seats out of the total 60 seats. The Trinamool Congress is set to make huge gains by winning 11 seats. The BJP’s tally is said to be six seats.As for the state of Tripura, the ruling BJP is expected to come back to power with 32 seats out of the total 60 seats. The Left is expected to win 15 seats, and TIPRA 12 seats. The elections to Tripura Assembly took place on February 16.There have been several instances when exit polls have gone wrong. The actual counting of votes will take place on Thursday, March 2.The voting in the northeastern states of Nagaland and Meghalaya passed off peacefully on Monday, February 27, without any major incident. While Nagaland recorded an 81.94% voter turnout, 74.32% of voters in Meghalaya exercised their franchise, according to the information released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) at 5 pm.At a polling booth in Meghalaya. Photo: Twitter/@ECISVEEP.In the state of Nagaland, elections were held for 59 out of 60 assembly seats, as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kazheto Kimini declared the winner from the Akuluto constituency after rival candidates withdrew from the fray. Of the total 13,00,000 eligible voters, nearly 82% votes cast their vote. Voters queued up outside 2,291 polling stations spread across the state since morning.Similarly, in Meghalaya, polling was held for 59 out of 60 seats. The voting in the Sohiong Assembly segment has been postponed due to the demise of one of the candidates. Nearly 75% of the 21,60,000 total voters in the state exercised their franchise. Since the start of polling at 7 am, voters joined long queues outside 3,419 polling booths in the state.In Nagaland, chief minister Neiphiu Rio of the National Democratic Progressive Party, who had formed an alliance government with the BJP in 2018, contested the election together with the saffron party. The BJP in Nagaland is piggybacking on NDPP. In fact, it was Naga People Front (NPF) which had emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 election. Although NPF was the BJP’s oldest ally in the region, it chose to back Rio of the NDPP to form the government in 2018. The Naga People’s Front (NPF) this time around faces a tough election as many of its leaders have since shifted loyalties to the NDPP.As for Meghalaya, the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) of chief minister Conrad Sangma is hoping to cross the halfway mark of 30. It has campaigned on the good governance plank, which it claimed it has delivered to the people of the state. The state has seen a four-corner contest with NPP, Congress, BJP and the new challenger Trinamool Congress in the fray.Elections were also held in one assembly constituency each in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jharkhand. The Erode East bypoll in Tamil Nadu saw a voter turnout of 70.58% until 5 pm. About 63% of voters cast their vote in West Bengal’s Sagardighi until 3 pm. The bypoll in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh Assembly constituency witnessed a voter turnout of 67% until 5 pm.According to a statement issued by the Election Commission of India, “Advance planning, use of technology and strict monitoring ensure largely peaceful elections in Meghalaya and Nagaland. Voting also held today for bypolls in one AC [assembly constituency] each in Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Polling parties travel through mountainous treks & inaccessible terrains to reach 74 non-motorable polling stations in Meghalaya.”