Medha to contest from Mumbai North-East? Announcement soon

Even as speculation continues regarding activist Medha Patkar’s reported plunge into electoral politics, the Aam Aadmi Party delcared that it would support her candidature even if she chose to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections as an independent and notas an officialAAP candidate. Patkar recently pledged the support of her Narmada Bachao aandolan and the National Alliance of People’s Movements of which she is convenor to the Aam Aadmi Party. The Times of India reported that AAP leader Sanjay Singh reportedly said in New Delhi that the party has decided to support her. “It is up to her to decide on whether she wants to contest elections,” he was quoted as saying. Patkar contested elections once under the People’s Political Front. [caption id=“attachment_1342037” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Patkar announced the alliance with AAP recently. PTI[/caption] Until now, though the NAPM has declared that its constituent groups would support AAP, whether Patkar will herself get into electoral politics remains unclear. The Economic Times reports that Patkar, who is currently in the US on a lecture tour, met AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal before her departure. Shemay have had a change of heart regarding her own candidature, the report suggested, adding that her entry into politics was with the blessings of Anna Hazare. Another report also suggested that Patkar could contest from Mumbai’s North East constituency, represented currently by the NCP’s Sanjay Dina Patil. The founder of the NAPM may make an announcement soon, it said. The North-east constituency is home to a swathe of slums, whose residents are supporters of the NAPM and its constituent groups, many of which have actively  campaigned against the demolition of shanty towns.