Irom Sharmila to contest her first election as Manipur goes to the polls
- On March 4 saw the first phase of voting in Manipur assembly election.
- Irom Chanu Sharmila's party Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) is contesting in this elections.
- This party introduced Manipur's first Muslim woman candidate for assembly elections.
FollowÂ
Voting for the first phase of polling in Manipur covering 38 constituencies began on March 4 amidst tight security. Â Polling began at 7 am and will end at 3 pm, the Election Commission (EC) said.
Â
An electorate of 19,02,562 comprising 9,28,573 male and 9,73,989 female voters will decide the fate of 168 candidates. The number of new voters is 45,642. Of the total 1,643 polling station where polling is being held, the EC has identified 837 polling stations as hyper sensitive and 529 as sensitive.
Â
For maintaining peaceful polling 280 companies of central paramilitary forces and armed police of other states have been deployed. Â Out of these 30 companies are being kept for looking after the two national highways connecting Imphal and other states in view of the four-month-old indefinite economic blockade by United Naga Council (UNC). The rest of the security forces will be deployed in the polling stations; the EC said adding that Manipur Police will not be deployed in them.
Â
The most significant aspect of this Manipur election is AFSPA activist Irom Chanu Sharmila and her political party Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA). Sharmila who sat on an indefinite hunger strike protesting against Arm Forces Special Power Act broke her fast after 16-years in 2016. And, this year she is fighting the elections to get the controversial act repealed.Â
Â
In her first election, Sharmila’s party already created history by introducing Manipur’s first Muslim woman candidate to contest the assembly election, named Najima Bibi. Najima is contesting from Wabagai constituency that will go to the polls on the second phase of the elections on March 8.
Â
Irom Chanu Sharmila is also contesting for the first time in this assembly election from Thoubal constituency where polling will take place on the second phase of Manipur elections. Thoubal happens to be the constituency of CM Okram Ibobi Singh, and it has to be seen what people of Manipur decides.
