Assembly Elections: Utpal Parrikar to Contest as Independent, Priyanka Gandhi to be “Congress Face” in UP
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 21: With the BJP denying ticket to Utpal Parrikar, the son of the party’s tallest leader in Goa and its three-time Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, has announced parting company with the party that his father built for the last 25 years and contest the elections as an independent.
The BJP has taken the stand that the party ticket should be given only on the personal standing of an aspirant and not because he or she was a member of a family that held sway in a constituency. The BJP has re-nominated Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate — the lifelong rival of Manohar Parrikar, for the Panaji seat which was held by the former union minister for 25 years till his death in 2019.
Announcing that he would contest as an Independent, Utpal Parrikar said the time has come for him to “take some stand for my values… and let the people of Panaji decide my political fate”.
“I tried my best even during last and this election to convince my party that I enjoyed not only the support of all the party members, I also enjoy the support of general people of Panaji,” Utpal Parrikar said on Friday. “Despite that, I am unable to get the candidature of Panaji constituency. It has been given to someone who has opportunistically come in the party in last two years… That’s why I want to go ahead and let the people of Panaji decide my political fate,” he said.
In 2019, Utpal Parrikar had expressed his wish to contest the by-elections from the Panaji seat, which fell vacant after his father’s death. But the party wanted him to back Sidharth Kuncolienkar, a Parrikar loyalist. Subsequently, the BJP lost the seat to the Congress after 25 years — Monseratte was the winning candidate. Soon after getting elected on the Congress ticket, Monseratte, accused in a rape case, had changed camp in July 2019 along with nine other Congress leaders.
Parrikar Junior has multiple choices for the election. The BJP had offered him two alternate seats, which he reportedly turned down. He also got an offer from Aam Aadmi chief Arvind Kejriwal, who tweeted that “Utpal ji is welcome to join and fight elections on AAP ticket.” “I have always respected Manohar Parrikar ji… Goans feel very sad that BJP has adopted use-and-throw policy even with the Parrikar family,” Kejriwal had said.
“Manohar Parrikar has represented the Panaji constituency for more than two decades,” Utpal Parrikar told reporters. “This was possible as he enjoyed love and affection with people of Panaji which even I have developed. People voted for him as he stood for something… The time has come that even I take some stand for my values,” he added. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had also suggested to all the opposition parties not to put up candidate in Panaji if Utpal decided to contest against the BJP as an independent.
In another development, Uttarakhand’s former cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat returned to the Congress fold on Friday. The BJP in Uttarakhand on Sunday night expelled Rawat from the party for six years, citing indiscipline.
Meanwhile, the Congress released the Youth Manifesto for Uttar Pradesh on Friday. During the event, Rahul Gandhi stated that under the five years of BJP, nearly 16 lakh youngsters in UP have lost their jobs.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who presented herself as the “face” of the Congress in UP, however, allayed questions if she would personally contest the Assembly elections. She also stated that Congress would be open to alliances post elections if the need arises, adding that in such a circumstance, the party would certainly want its agenda for the youth and women to be fulfilled.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday said he would file a defamation case against the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejirwal, who has dubbed him as a dishonest man after the Enforcement Directorate carried out raids at many places including at the premises of the Congress leader’s nephew.
Channi alleged that Kejriwal was in the habit of levelling accusations to malign the image of others and that in the past it was seen how he had to later apologise to BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari, late Arun Jaitley and SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
Speaking to reporters in his constituency in Chamkaur Sahib, he claimed that Kejriwal has now crossed all limits and that he has requested his party to give permission to file a defamation case against the AAP leader. “I will file a defamation case against Kejriwal and have requested my party to give permission to do so. I am compelled to do this…he is dubbing me as dishonest and he has put that on his Twitter handle,” he said.
