Bombay Tribune (Goa) Utpal Parrikar is claimed to be set on standing for Panaji and has declined the BJP’s offer of two additional seats. Parikkar, on the other hand, has a slew of other people’s ideas.
Despite the fact that Utpal Parrikar, the son of the late chief minister and defence minister Manohar Parrikar, had expressed a strong desire to run in the upcoming Goa assembly elections from his father’s constituency of Panjim, his name was noticeably absent from the BJP’s first list of 34 candidates released on Thursday (January 20).
Utpal has already chastised the BJP for stating that three-time MLA and former Congressman Atanasio Babush Monserrate would be given the Panaji constituency. He questioned sharply if a person with “criminal history” should represent the late Manohar Parrikar’s constituency. Utpal was unmistakably alluding to Monserrate, a rape suspect.
According to reports in the media, Utpal Parrikar is adamant about running for Panaji and has turned down the BJP’s offer of two other seats. According to media accounts, he assured reporters, “I will clear my stand soon.”
However, the BJP’s stand is that Utpal has been given him two options, out of which he has rejected one. Talks are on to convince him to take the other seat, said Devendra Fadnavis, the former chief minister of Maharashtra and BJP’s Goa in-charge for the assembly polls.
Though Fadnavis has been saying that the BJP has always given respect to the Parrikar Parivar, he also remarked that being Manohar Parrikar’s son is not sufficient to earn a ticket from the BJP. But the BJP clearly did not put ‘Family First’ in his case, but has followed that principle in giving a ticket for Babush Monseratte’s wife Jennifer to contest from the Taleigao constituency.
On January 16, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant however had said the BJP’s central leadership will resolve the contentious issue with Utpal Parrikar. He had added that the BJP leadership is fully aware that Utpal wishes to contest from Panjim Assembly constituency and they are in touch with him to find a solution.
But, even if the BJP has ostensibly shunned him, other parties jumped in to woo him. While Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal invited him to join the Aam Aadmi Party, Raut asked all the non-BJP parties to back Utpal’s bid for the polls.
Kejriwal tweeted that Goans feel very sad that BJP has adopted use-and-throw policy even with the Parrikar family. “I have always respected Manohar Parrikar ji. Utpal ji is welcome to join and fight elections on AAP ticket,” Kejriwal said in his tweet.
While Raut tweeted that if Utpal Parrikar contests as an Independent from Panaji seat, he urged all non-BJP parties including AAP, the Congress, AITC and Goa Forward Party to support his candidature & not field a candidate against him. “This will be a true tribute to ManoharBhai!” tweeted Raut.
Manohar Parrikar, the BJP’s leading leader in Goa and a three-time chief minister, died in office in 2019. He was the member of parliament for Panaji for 25 years. His long-time adversary, Babush Monserrate, a former Congressman who joined the BJP in 2019, has now been allotted his son’s constituency.
Utpal Parrikar, an engineering graduate, has been preparing for the Panaji election and has already made contact with residents.