Retired IFS official to contest on AAP ticket

SHILLONG: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has cleared the name of former Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer from State Amerington Kharshiing to contest the Lok Sabha election for the Shillong Parliamentary constituency.

The former IFS official’s name was approved in the sixth list of AAP candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. 62-year-old Kharshiing was an IFS officer of the Manipur-Tripura cadre (1978).

Speaking to The Shillong Times on Saturday, Kharshiing said he was filled with enthusiasm to see leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare organise the Indian movement against corruption and was deeply impressed with the draft Jan Lokpal Bills prepared by two the anti-corruption leaders. While avoiding a direct reply on how he would take on senior politicians like Vincent H Pala and Paul Lyngdoh in the upcoming elections, Kharshiing said the AAP-led government has done good things in New Delhi and the party’s principle of fighting against corruption is the need of the hour.

He also informed that the party has not been able to find a candidate for the Tura seat so far.

According to Kharshiing, though the party is new in the North East and Meghalaya, people have started to accept the party and its principles.

Kharshiing, a B .Sc. (Agriculture) from the Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, retired from the Indian Forest Service on October 31, 2011.