by PANAJI: BJP on Thursday announced its first list of 34 candidates for Goa, dropping three sitting MLAs including two ministers but retaining a former minister who had quit over allegations of sex scandal. The party also refused to give the Panaji ticket to former chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal, which his father held from 1994 till his demise in March 2019. Instead, BJP went with Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, the sitting MLA and one of the 10 Congress defectors who joined the Pramod Sawant government in July 2019. Sawant has been declared as a candidate from Sankhli, a constituency that he has been representing since 2012.
“Utpal Parrikar or Manohar Parrikar’s family is our family. They are very close to us. We had given two other options to Utpal from where he could contest. He has already declined one of the options and discussions are on for the second option. We all feel that he should agree,” Goa BJP election in charge Devendra Fadnavis said. This is the second time that BJP has refused a ticket to Utpal in Panaji. In 2019, when the seat fell vacant after the demise of Parrikar, BJP had fielded Parrikar’s close aide Sidharth Kuncalienker in the bypoll. He lost to Monserrate, who had contested on a Congress ticket.
Smarting from being denied tickets, PWD minister Deepak Pauskar and deputy speaker Isidore Fernandes have decided to contest against BJP. Another minister, Filipe Nery Rodrigues, who on Wednesday announced that he would resign from the government but later deferred his decision, was also denied ticket. Candidates in the remaining six constituencies would be announced in the second list, which is expected to be released within the next couple of days.
Aiming at giving representation to various communities, BJP has fielded three candidates from scheduled tribes who will contest on general seats, two candidates from scheduled castes, one of whom will contest on a general seat, 11 candidates from other backward classes (OBC) and nine seats have been given to Catholic candidates. For the first time, BJP, which had made ‘family raj’ a poll plank in 2012, gave tickets to two couples—Jennifer and Atanasio Monserrate and Deviya and Vishwajit Rane. “Sometimes, these are occupational hazards,” Fadnavis said on tickets being allotted to Monserrates and Ranes. “Babush and wife Jennifer were both elected as MLAs and then they both joined BJP. She has her own identity and is also a cabinet minister in the BJP government,” he said.
“Utpal Parrikar or Manohar Parrikar’s family is our family. They are very close to us. We had given two other options to Utpal from where he could contest. He has already declined one of the options and discussions are on for the second option. We all feel that he should agree,” Goa BJP election in charge Devendra Fadnavis said. This is the second time that BJP has refused a ticket to Utpal in Panaji. In 2019, when the seat fell vacant after the demise of Parrikar, BJP had fielded Parrikar’s close aide Sidharth Kuncalienker in the bypoll. He lost to Monserrate, who had contested on a Congress ticket.
Smarting from being denied tickets, PWD minister Deepak Pauskar and deputy speaker Isidore Fernandes have decided to contest against BJP. Another minister, Filipe Nery Rodrigues, who on Wednesday announced that he would resign from the government but later deferred his decision, was also denied ticket. Candidates in the remaining six constituencies would be announced in the second list, which is expected to be released within the next couple of days.
Aiming at giving representation to various communities, BJP has fielded three candidates from scheduled tribes who will contest on general seats, two candidates from scheduled castes, one of whom will contest on a general seat, 11 candidates from other backward classes (OBC) and nine seats have been given to Catholic candidates. For the first time, BJP, which had made ‘family raj’ a poll plank in 2012, gave tickets to two couples—Jennifer and Atanasio Monserrate and Deviya and Vishwajit Rane. “Sometimes, these are occupational hazards,” Fadnavis said on tickets being allotted to Monserrates and Ranes. “Babush and wife Jennifer were both elected as MLAs and then they both joined BJP. She has her own identity and is also a cabinet minister in the BJP government,” he said.
