Manipur offers only 90 votes to Irom Sharmila

Guwahati: The political crusade of Irom Sharmila, known to be the Iron lady of Manipur ended in a whimper on Saturday when she discovered to have polled only 90 votes.

Irom had consciously chosen to challenge Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh. The three time chief minister had a cakewalk as he defeated his nearest BJP rival L Basanta by a margin of 10,470 votes at Thoubal.

The 44-year-old rights activist Irom had faced the anger of the people after she stopped her 16-year fast in 2016 against the Armed Forces' Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

Soon after breaking her fast, she had announced her ambition to become the chief minister and took a plunge in the politics by forming a political outfit-- Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA).

Her fledgling party, PRJA, had the support of the Left and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party. But her appeal failed to make any impact on her political fight.
After forfeiting her security deposit, she however presented a brave front before the media and asserted that she would continue to strengthen her fledgling party.

“I do not feel much affected by the result because people are yet to be given a chance... Everybody knows muscle and money power are openly used in the elections,” she told reporters on Saturday.