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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Irom Sharmila loses Manipur election, says will quit politics
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Irom Sharmila loses Manipur election, says will quit politics

How did the Irom Sharmila, the Iron lady of Manipur, who once occupied the highest moral ground in the state, end up like this?

Irom Sharmila files her nomination at DC Office for the Manipur assembly elections on 16 February 2017. Photo: PTIPremium
Irom Sharmila files her nomination at DC Office for the Manipur assembly elections on 16 February 2017. Photo: PTI

Being a crusader is not always easy. Supporters may endorse your cause, but there is also the pressure of being the repository of their hopes, leaving you with no room to be your own person. No one knows this better than Irom Sharmila, the iron lady of Manipur, who last year ended a 16-year-long fast demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA) in the state.

Force fed through nasal tubes, sequestered in a room, Sharmila finally decided that she needs to fight the battle with a different approach. And thus was born Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA), her political party. Sharmila herself took on incumber chief minister O. Ibobi Singh by contesting against him in his constituency Thoubal. Unfortunately for her, it was a gamble that did not pay off. While Ibobi secured more than a comfortable victory, Sharmila polled less than 100 votes.

She announced that she would quit politics but continue her fight against AFSPA in the state. “I am fed up with this political system. I have decided to quit active politics. I will move to south India as I need to calm my mind," Sharmila told PTI. “But I will continue my fight against AFSPA until and unless it is repealed. But I will fight as a social activist."

How did the Iron lady of Manipur, who once occupied the highest moral ground in the state, end up like this? According to Pradip Phanjoubam, author of The Northeast Question: Conflict and Frontiers, Sharmila was always too “small a threat. No one would vote for a party with just three candidates (PRJA fielded only two other people apart from Sharmila)".

There were reports of just how unhappy the people of Manipur were with Sharmila for calling of her fast, but Phanjoubam dismisses that anger had anything to do with the low tally of votes against her. “There is no question of disenchantment. A good activist doesn’t automatically make for a good politician," he said.

Manipur may not have voted for Sharmila this time but the feisty activist will still get her happy ending as she is reported to be getting married to her partner after the elections.

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Published: 21 Feb 2017, 12:41 PM IST
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