Panaji by-poll has become an emotional affair for BJP due to late Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. Therefore, the party is considering to field his elder son Utpal Parrikar from Panaji assembly seat. He is one of the two persons shortlisted by the BJP to contest the upcoming by-poll in the Panaji Assembly seat.
A party leader said on Thursday that Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar on Wednesday held discussions with various party units, including the Panaji block committee, to discuss the names of probable’s. The senior BJP leader said on condition of anonymity, “Two names have been shortlisted, one is Utpal Parrikar and the other is Siddharth Kunkolienkar.” Both the names would be sent to the party’s parliamentary board in New Delhi for a final decision, he added.
The Panaji Assembly by-poll, scheduled on May 19, was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA and the then chief minister Manohar Parrikar last month. Utpal Parrikar, 38, who has done a Masters degree course from the US and is presently into business, earlier said that he would be ready to take any responsibility given to him by the BJP. On the other hand, Kunkolienkar first won the Panaji seat during the 2015 by-election. He again bagged the seat in the 2017 state Assembly polls but vacated it later that year to make way for Manohar Parrikar to be inducted into the House.
The opposition Congress has already announced former state minister Atanasio Monserratte as its candidate for the Panaji Assembly seat, which comprises around 22,000 voters.
