Manipur will vote on March 4 and 8 to elect 60 members of the state assembly. (File photo)
Activist Irom Sharmila and Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who is seeking a fourth term, today filed their nominations for Thoubal Assembly seat in the upcoming assembly elections.
Mr Ibobi Singh will fight on a Congress ticket. The chief minister said with conviction the Congress party would return with a "thumping" majority and would form the government for the fourth consecutive term.
Sharmila filed her nominations on behalf of her People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA), which is making an electoral debut this year.
Anti-AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) crusader Irom Sharmila, who ended her 16-year-long hunger strike in August 2016, will be one of the main opponents against the Congress veteran in Thoubal. She reached Thoubal on her bicycle, covering a distance of over 20km from Imphal, flanked by her party activists. PRJA is hoping to make an impact using alternative political practices.
Mr Ibobi Singh, the three-time chief minister of Manipur, is eyeing for a fourth term in office after being elected successively in 2002, 2007 and 2012 respectively. "The ruling Congress shall win absolute majority in the non-Naga areas. There are 10 seats in the constituencies dominated by the Nagas. We are hoping to bag at least half," he told the media.
Naga groups are reportedly staunchly opposed to the Congress party and Mr Ibobi Singh.
Many of the politicians were asked to resign from the assembly and contest only after joining other parties, said sources.
Polling for the 60-member Manipur Assembly will take place in two phases on March 4 and March 8 respectively, results for which will be declared on March 11.
In the last Assembly polls, the Congress had won 42 seats and Okram Ibobi Singh was re-elected as the chief minister.
(With inputs from PTI & IANS)