BJP's first list for Goa polls stirs controversy over family raj, tickets to tainted candidates

BJP has dropped former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal's claim for a ticket

The BJP on Thursday stirred controversy after the ruling party released its first list of 34 candidates for the February 14 assembly polls, dropping former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal's claim for a ticket for the Panaji assembly seat.

The BJP has also offered tickets to two couples Vishwajit Rane, his wife Divya from the Valpoi and Poriem seat and the Monserrate couple, Atanasio and Jennifer from the Panaji and Taleigao assembly constituencies.

The ticket to the prestigious Panaji seat has been allotted to sitting BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate, who is accused of raping a minor girl and charged with attacking a city police station with a mob nearly two decades back. Monserrate was a Congress MLA before he joined the BJP along with nine other Congress legislators in a midnight coup in 2019.

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"I had given Utpal Parrikar two options about where he could contest from. He had refused one option. We are still discussing the second option with him. We all feel he should accept it. BJP has respected the Parrikar family," BJP's Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis told reporters after the party released its list of candidates.

Utpal Parrikar has however refused Fadnavis' offer, with Parrikar's elder son now stating that he would be formally announcing his decision on contesting the polls "within two days".
Among other notable absentees from the candidates, the list is former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, sitting MLA and Public Works Department Minister Deepak Prabhu Pauskar.

The BJP list also includes former Urban Development Minister Milind Naik, who was sacked from the BJP-led coalition government's cabinet, after his name cropped up in an alleged sex scandal, which was brought to light by the Congress party last month.

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While announcing the list of candidates Fadnavis also stirred controversy by saying that the state's most veteran legislator and sitting Congress MLA from Poriem Pratapsingh Rane had cleared his daughter-in-law's candidature from his traditional bastion.

"The Poriem seat is Pratapsingh Rane's seat. He has been elected from that seat for 50 years on a Congress ticket. The Congress has never lost from there. We had requested Rane and told him that the Congress is sinking and it can never do any good for the country," Fadnavis said.

"Therefore, you (Rane Sr) should give the seat to the BJP and either he should contest on a BJP ticket or help the BJP. He accepted what we said and said that I have aged so I will not contest, Divya Rane will contest instead," he added.

Also Read | Uproar in Goa after BJP denies ticket to Manohar Parrikar's son

Rane Sr. has however rejected the rationale presented by the former Maharashtra Chief Minister.

"It is not right. My name is being used, it should not be done. Poriem is not my backyard. This is fake news. Fadnavis met me several days ago. He had visited me. But I have not spoken any politics with him. Whether I contest or not is a different matter. First, this needs to be clarified," Rane has shot back.

The BJP has also fielded several fresh faces which includes Pravin Arlekar (Pernem), former Speaker late Ananth Shet's brother Premender Shet (Mayem), Health Minister Vishwajit Rane's wife Divya (Poriem), Sudesh Bhindi (Marcaim), Krishna Salkar (Vasco), Damodar Bandodkar (Benaulim), Ulhas Tuenkar (Navelim) and Savio Rodrigues (Velim).

Among former MLAs who are trying to make a comeback are Dayanand Mandrekar (Siolim), Damodar Naik (Fatorda), Ganesh Gaonkar (Sanvordem), Subhash Phaldesai (Sanguem) and Ramesh Tawadkar (Canacona).

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