BJP snubs Parrikar's son; AAP offers him poll ticket

New Delhi/Panaji: The name of Utpal Parrikar, son of former Goa chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, did not figure in the BJP's list of 34 candidates that it announced on Thursday for the upcoming state assembly polls, although he had sought party's candidature from the Panaji constituency. The party said that although Utpal Parrikar was given four other options, he did not accept any of them.

Of the 34 nominees of the BJP, 16 are those who are currently not part of the ruling party's legislative wing.

The BJP announced the list of candidates in Delhi for the February 14 Goa assembly elections, as per which Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will again be the party's candidate from Sanquelim constituency. While refusing to give a ticket to Utpal Parrikar from the Panaji constituency, which his father had represented for over two decades, the BJP nominated from that seat party's sitting MLA Atanasio Monserrate, one of the 10 legislators, who had joined the saffron party in July 2019 after quitting the Congress. BJP's Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis said that Utpal Parrikar is part of the BJP family and was given four other options (other than Panaji seat), which he did not accept. Fadnavis, however, did not specify the options.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused the saffron party of adopting a "use and throw policy even with the Parrikar family". Kejriwal invited Utpal Parrikar to join the AAP and contest the assembly election on its ticket. "Goans feel v sad that BJP has adopted use and throw policy even with Parrikar family. I have always respected Manohar Parrikar ji. Utpal ji is welcome to join and fight elections on AAP ticket," the Delhi Chief Minister said in a tweet minutes after the saffron party announced the list of candidates.