Utpal Parrikar quits BJP, to contest as Independent

Utpal Parrikar, son of late former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar quit the BJP on Friday. He announced that he would contest as an Independent candidate from Panaji in the upcoming Assembly elections in Goa.

Panaji: Utpal Parrikar, son of late former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar quit the BJP on Friday. He announced that he would contest as an Independent candidate from Panaji in the upcoming Assembly elections in Goa. Manohar Parrikar was a three-time Goa Chief Minister and has been the saffron party's top leader in the coastal territory. A charismatic Parrikar held the Panaji constituency for 25 years and died while in office as Chief Minister.

Speaking about his decision, Utpal Parrikar said he had no other choice. "I was left with no other choice. I have resigned from the party and I would be contesting as an independent from Panaji," he told the media. Terming the resignation as a "formality" he said that BJP will "always remain in my heart. It is a difficult choice for me, I am doing it for the people of Goa. No one should be worried about my political future, people of Goa will take care of it."

"The BJP had offered him 'other options' (constituencies other than Panaji). I am fighting for the values which I believe in. Let the people of Panaji decide. I cannot negotiate with my party," he said. "If not BJP, then I would go for (contesting as) independent. I will not go for any other political party," said Utpal. Utpal's announcement comes a day after BJP announced its first list of 34 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Goa in which he was not given a chance.

Even as Utpal wanted to contest from his father's constituency Panaji, BJP has fielded Atanasio Monserrate 'Babush' from the constituency. Now as an Independent, Parrikar will take on Monserrate, who faces charges of raping a minor and several other criminal cases. Monserrate had won the bypolls necessitated following the death of Manohar Parrikar in 2019 on a Congress ticket. He had however joined the BJP along with nine other Congress MLAs.

"For our party, the Parrikar family is always our family. But from the seat that Utpal wanted to contest from we already have a sitting MLA and it would not be fair to drop the sitting MLA. However, we had given him the option of contesting from two other seats and the talks are progressing in that direction," Goa State election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis had said.

Goa Chief MInister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday that the BJP Central leadership were in touch with the Utpal adding that they have offered him two seats to contest from Goa. AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal offered an AAP ticket to Utpal. Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal slammed BJP and said they have adopted "use and throw policy" even with the Parrikar family therefore AAP offered to Utpal to join and fight elections on the AAP ticket.

(with Agency inputs)