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Goa polls: Former CM Parsekar to quit BJP today after being denied ticket
Laxmikant Parsekar's decision comes after the BJP fielded sitting MLA Dayanand Raghunath Sopte from his home turf Mandrem constituency. The BJP released its first list of 34 candidates for the 40-member Goa assembly on Thursday.
In yet another jolt to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa, party member and former chief minister of the state Laxmikant Parsekar said on Saturday that he will resign from the saffron camp later in the day after being denied a ticket for the upcoming assembly elections. “I would be formally submitting my resignation to the party on Saturday evening,” he told news agency ANI.
Parsekar is the chief of BJP's manifesto for the Goa assembly polls scheduled next month, and was also a member of the party's core committee. His decision comes after the saffron party fielded sitting MLA Dayanand Raghunath Sopte from the Mandrem constituency that was Parsekar's home turf.
The former CM of Goa has been a stalwart of the saffron camp in the coastal state for over three decades. His move to exit the party comes a day after Utpal Parrikar, son of another former CM of Goa Manohar Parrikar, announced his resignation from the BJP due to the same reason of being denied a ticket for the forthcoming polls. Notably, Parsekar had succeeded senior Parrikar as the chief minister in 2014.
Parsekar, however, has kept everyone guessing regarding his next move. “What I should be doing next, would be decided later,” he told PTI. He added that there is resentment among the original BJP workers of Mandrem constituency for Sopte as he has been ignoring them.
In the 2017 Goa assembly elections, Sopte defeated Parsekar on a Congress ticket. However, in 2019, he joined the BJP along with nine others.
Goa will go into polls on February 14 and counting of the votes will be held on March 10. The ruling BJP, which has so far released one list of 34 candidates for the 40-seat Goa assembly, is looking to retain power in the coastal state.
