Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Reacting to BJP Senior Leader Devendra Fadnavis on election ticket, Utpal, son of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, questioned the BJP on whether it believed in integrity, character or not.
Utpal Parrikar also claimed that the current politics in the state are not acceptable to him.
“The current politics is not acceptable to me; winnability, integrity, character does not matter? Are we allowing a person with criminal antecedent to contest constituency represented by Manohar Parrikar?” said Utpal Parrikar.
He further said that this mentality has to change and that he was trying to change the same.
“All those senior BJP leaders who made the party big in Goa and those who used to work with my father are now working with me; I will announce my candidature at the right time,” he said.
Utpal said he did not want to comment on the statement made by Fadnavis, who, he pointed out, is a senior BJP leader. “If I wanted a ticket only as Parrikar’s son, I would have insisted on that the last time (2019) when it was denied to me through the back door. Since 1994, a lot many BJP workers have toiled with my father. And if you see on the ground, they are now toiling with me,” said Utpal.
Panaji MLA Babush Monserrate, a few days ago, had called off his campaigning. His decision came in the wake of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s son, Utpal, claiming that he will be the BJP candidate from Panaji.
Utpal Parrikar started his election campaign in Panaji two months back. He had expressed confidence that the BJP would consider his candidature for the assembly elections. He has also started campaigning from house to house.
Apart from this, he is also holding booth level meetings. Last week, when Babush Monserrate said that he was in Goa to stay with the BJP, Utpal also made his intentions clear to the field for the upcoming assembly elections.
He had a meeting with BJP National President JP Nadda on this issue. Utpal said, ‘I have told Nadda that BJP’s core workers and voters are with me. I am getting better support than Panaji. He said that Nadda had not given him any advice in this regard.
For the ruling BJP, conceding Utpal’s demand will be tough given the claims of other formidable party aspirants for the Panaji seat.