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For all those keenly following the exit polls from Manipur, the outcome did not come as a surprise in so far the verdict - hung assembly - was concerned. The voter gave the front berth to the BJP with a tally of 25-31 seats. The India Today-Axis poll disagreed, predicted 19 seats for the saffron party and gifted 33 for the Congress.
The voters agreed with the pollsters- not fully, not even substantially, only partially. And rewarded the Congress with 28 seats; helped the saffron party to make a grand debut with a record hall of 21 seats (36.3% vote share), in the insurgent infested hill cum plains state on the borders with Myanmar.
The exit polls did not focus on prospects of human rights activist, Irom Chanu Sharmila, who has been battling with the might of the state for several years. Pollsters, like most Gauhati and Kolkata based Manipur observers, took her victory for granted.
Such was her aura. But three -days short of her 45th birth day, Mengoubi (the fair one) as the Iron Lady of Manipur is hailed by locals, found her political dream crash to the ground.
EVMs showed just 90 votes against her name. A reward for 16-years of fasting to revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, which remains a blot on the liberal Indian statute ! For Manipuris, NOTA- none of the above- option appeared more attractive; they pressed the NOTA button more than one hundred times.
Today Irom is resolved not to fight another electoral battle and moved to God's Own County that has plenty of backwaters from the Arabian Sea for peace. The party floated by her, People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance, PRJA, has not lost hope of sunshine one day fight another electoral battle and moved to God's Own County that has plenty of backwaters from the Arabian Sea for peace. The party floated by her, People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance, PRJA, has not lost...