Lagatar24 Desk
Panaji, Jan 27: After the BJP denied him a ticket, Utpal Parrikar, the son of former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, has run as an independent candidate in his father’s constituency of Panaji.
Before filing his nomination papers from Panaji, Utpal Parrikar offered prayers at a shrine.
He will face incumbent MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, who was chosen by the BJP over him in the Panaji election. Last week, an enraged Utpal Parrikar resigned from the BJP and announced that he would run for office in his father’s constituency anyway.
Notably, Manohar Parrikar, who served as Chief Minister three times, died in 2019. He was elected to the Panaji seat for a period of 25 years. After Mr Parrikar’s death, his long-time rival Babush Monserrate, who was accused of rape, won a by-election as a Congress candidate before eventually switching to the BJP.
Utpal Parrikar resigned on Friday, saying he would leave the race if the BJP ran “an honest candidate with integrity and no criminal records” from Panaji. Mr Monserrate was not mentioned.
Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal had also invited Utpal Parrikar to join the AAP after he was excluded from the BJP’s list of candidates for the election in the state.
Notably, the Goa Assembly election 2022 will be held on February 14. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
