Manipur Chief Minister, the Congress party's Okram Ibobi Singh, registered a thumping victory from the Thoubal Assembly seat, decimating debutante Irom Sharmila Chanu.
The biggest contribution of Okram Ibobi Singh, who has been heading a Congress government in Manipur for the past 15 years, could perhaps be maintaining peace in the troubled state while taking development to its remote corners.
The biggest contribution of Okram Ibobi Singh, who has been heading a Congress government in Manipur for the past 15 years, could perhaps be maintaining peace in the troubled state while taking development to its remote corners.
In his constituency of Thoubal, Singh's challenger, the anti-AFPSA activist Irom Sharmila, managed to garner less than 100 votes.
Though he continues to be the face of the Congress in the north-eastern state, Singh had been facing dissent from party lawmakers for the past two years. He suggested a way out to the All India Congress Committee mandarins and the issues have been addressed say party managers.
Known to take along allies, Singh continued with alliance partners, though he had the numbers to form the government during his second term in 2007. When the allies chose to break away and contest separately, he delivered another win for the grand old party in 2012 which won an absolute majority with 42 of the total 60 seats.
However, this time there has been an aggressive Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the defection of senior Congress leaders – N Biren Singh and Y Erabot Singh – to the saffron party.
The challenge also comes from the People's Democratic Front, comprising Manipur People's Party (MPP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Janata Dal (United), CPI (M) and a state unit of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Irom Sharmila, who broke her 16-year-long protest fast only to challenge Singh, was another headache for the chief minister. Plus, the insurgency, which keeps resurfacing, has given ammunition to his opponents.
Singh, 68, started his career as a social worker. He is married to Landhoni Devi, who is a Congress MLA in the current legislative Assembly from the Khangabok constituency.
Singh first won from Khangabok in 1984 as an independent candidate as no party would give a ticket to a small time politician. But his work as head of the Khadi and Village Industries Board caught the attention of the Congress. Subsequently, it fielded him in the 1990 Assembly elections. He was made minister in-charge of industries and the Manipur Housing and Urban Development.
