The counting of votes in assembly elections in three Northeast states – Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland – began at 8am on Saturday.

Two exit polls have predicted that the Bharatiya Janata Party will dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in Meghalaya and Nagaland. The election results will be declared on the Election Commission of India’s website, reports the Hindustan Times.

While the Congress has been ruling Meghalaya for 10 years, the Naga People’s Front has been in power in Nagaland since 2003, except for a three-month period of President’s rule in 2008. Tripura went to polls on February 18 and elections were held in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27.

Noon: Latest trends show the BJP has surged ahead in Tripura with a lead in 43 seats, pipping the Left, which is ahead in 16 seats. In Meghalaya, the Congress leads in 28 seats, followed by NPP in 10 and the BJP in eight seats. In Nagaland, the NDPP-BJP alliance is leading in 32 seats, while the NPF+ is ahead in 24 seats.