BJP chief Amit Shah is said to be behind the party's success in the northeast.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seemed to be maintaining its dominance over the country's Northeast as results of the Lok Sabha elections trickled in today. While it led in 13 of the 25 seats across the region, the Congress was seen having the edge in just five.
The biggest contribution to the NDA seemed to come from Assam, with the BJP surging ahead in eight seats, leaving three each for the Congress and other non-aligned contestants. Significantly, the BJP's gains came in spite of largescale resentment over the National Register of Citizens as well as the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to implement once he returned to power.
The BJP seemed set to retain the Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh constituencies in Assam as results trickled in, with party candidates Pradan Baruah and Rameshwar Teli establishing leads of over two lakh votes over their nearest Congress rivals. The party is also leading in the Mangaldoi, Jorhat, Nowgong, Silchar, Diphu and Tezpur constituencies while its alliance partner - the Asom Gana Parishad - seemed set to emerge victorious from Barpeta. The Congress is leading in the Kaliabor and Gauhati constituencies.
The BJP had won seven seats in Assam in 2014, leaving three each for the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front. The remaining seat went to an independent candidate.
The NDA was also seen making gains in Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. While the coalition looked set to wrest both the Lok Sabha constituencies in Tripura, trends seem to favour it in one seat each across Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
While the Congress' tally in Assam remains unchanged at three, the party seemed set to lose both the seats it was holding in Manipur while gaining one in Nagaland. Non-aligned parties, on the other hand, were likely to win at least seven seats across Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Meghalaya.
(With inputs from PTI)