Newmai News Network Imphal | August 12 For the second time Irom Chanu Sharmila who recently ended her 16-year-old fast declined an offer from the Manipur unit of Aam Aadami Party (AAP) to join the party and contest as its candidate in the upcoming state assembly polls. AAP president Th Manihar Singh along with two other party leaders met Sharmila at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Imphal yesterday when they requested her to fight the polls on the party ticket, which was declined, Imphal Free Press said. She reaffirmed her decision of contesting the 2017 assembly polls as an Independent candidate. During the meeting, the AAP leaders also assured her that she would be the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the polls, the report said quoting Manihar. Manihar said the party team urged her to think over the request for some days and take a final decision. Sharmila here formally announced to break her fast on August 9, saying she would join electoral politics and contest the assembly polls as an Independent candidate from the home turf of the incumbent Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in Thoubal district. However, she promised that she would always stand against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). She had said she would try to become Chief Minister of the state and that would enable her to work towards repealing the Act from the state. The party had earlier requested Sharmila to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in 2014 on AAP ticket, but the offer was declined.
