The 25 Lok Sabha seats across the eight States of northeastern India were like an appendix until the dawn of the coalition era in 1989 turned regional parties into stakeholders at the Centre. Ahead of Mandate 2024, these seats have become crucial for political parties of all hues and sizes to achieve their national targets.
Barring a few “neutral” entities, such as Assam’s All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Mizoram’s ruling Zoram People’s Movement, most regional parties in the northeast are members of the BJP-helmed North East Democratic Alliance and so, by default, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre. The exceptions are the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and former activist Akhil Gogoi’s Raijor Dal, constituents of the Congress-steered Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance.
