Goa polls: BJP faces rebellion in 4 seats

Panaji: When assembly polls are around the corner, the ruling BJP in Goa faces a rebellion from four assembly seats in Goa, including the critical constituency of Panaji where BJP's stalwart late leader Manohar Parrkar's son, Utpal Parrikar, contests as an independent, PTI reported.

In Panaji, disheartening Utpal, BJP has issued the ticket to Congress turncoat Atanasio Monserratte. However, Utpal said that his heart will always be with BJP, but he is competing against Monserratte because he cannot let a wrong person win the seat his father won many times and represented proudly. Incidentally, there are some serious cases registered against the BJP candidate. Monserratte left Congress in 2019 and joined BJP.

Meanwhile, in Mandrem, former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar and BJP's manifesto committee head quit the party and decided to be an independent candidate while BJP fielded Dayanand Sopte there. Sopte had beaten Parsekar in 2017 when the former was in Congress then.

Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavelar's wife Chandrakant Kavelar has joined Congress and is contesting in the Sanguem constituency, where the BJP candidate is Subhash Phaldesai.

Near Sanguem, Quepem constituency is where Chandrakand Kavelkar is contesting against the Congress's Prasad Goankar, who won the seat as Independent last time.

In Cumbharuja, though BJP could pacify Siddhesh Naik, Union minister Shripad Naik's son, BJP's former leader Rohan Harmalkar is contesting as an Independent against BJP's candidate Jainita Madkaikar.

Siddhesh Naik had earlier announced that he would contest as an Independent. Jainita Madkaikar is wife to sitting BJP MLA Pandurang Madkaikar.