Utpal Parrikar, Manohar Parrikar’s son, said on Friday that he is quitting from the BJP and will run as an Independent candidate in the forthcoming Goa assembly election.
This comes after days of haggling and wrangling for the Panaji constituency, which was formerly represented by former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar till 2019, and which his son had been eyeing but was rejected by the BJP in favour of the incumbent MLA.
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Earlier in the day, Utpal stated he would make his decision at a news conference, sparking rumours that he may run without the support of any Panaji political group. The BJP maintained till the very last moment that talks with Utpal were ongoing and that he had been offered alternate assembly seats.
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The BJP announced its first list of 34 candidates for Goa on Thursday, including incumbent MLA Atanasio Monserrate of Panaji. Devendra Fadnavis claimed that replacing the existing MLA, who won the bypoll after Manohar Parrikar’s death in 2019, is not fair. Parrikar had held the seat for over 25 years.
