Congress was trounced by the Left Front in Tripura

Congress looks set to form a government in Meghalaya but lost power in Tripura.

The fourth state - Nagaland - may be run by an alliance backed by rebels demanding an independent tribal homeland.

The Bharatiya Janata Party blamed BJP rebel candidates and an "anti-incumbency" factor for the Himachal Pradesh defeat.

Rebel claims

In Meghalaya, Congress party chief DD Lapang, a former chief minister, staked his claim to form a government, supported by a regional party and four independents.

Mr Lapang told the BBC that Congress, with 23 legislators, would also have the support of 10 others in the 60-member house.

However, in Tripura, Manik Sarkar is to take over as chief minister of a Left Front government for the third time in 10 years.

The Left Front trounced Congress-led opposition to gain a two-thirds majority.

In Nagaland, the governor, Shyamal Dutta, invited the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland to form the government.

The alliance is supported by the rebel National Socialist Council of Nagaland movement, which is trying to reach a settlement with Delhi on its independence demands.

The alliance only won 19 seats in the 60-member house compared to Congress' 21, but alliance leader Neiphiu Rio is claiming support of 33 legislators.

Denial

After a high-level meeting analysing the defeat in Himachal Pradesh, senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan said the party was hopeful of reversing the trend in upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan, Delhi, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani and party president Venkaiah Naidu.

Mr Mahajan denied the right-wing Hindu policies that succeeded in Gujarat in December elections had backfired.