Voting is underway for Goa elections 2022 where 301 candidates are in the contest for 40 Assembly seats. Besides the ruling BJP and the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are also in the fray in a bid to expands their footprint beyond traditional bases of Delhi and West Bengal, respectively.
Prominent candidates in Goa elections include Chief Minister Pramod Sawant (BJP), Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat (Congress), former chief ministers Churchill Alemao (TMC), Ravi Naik (BJP), Laxmikant Parsekar (Independent), former deputy CMs Vijai Sardesai (GFP) and Sudin Dhavalikar (MGP), late CM Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal Parrikar and AAP’s CM face Amit Paleker.
Here’s a lowdown of the high-stakes in three most watched constituencies on Goa election on February 14:
Panaji: Sonny Side Up
The most-talked candidate in Panaji Assembly seat is Utpal Parrikar, son of the late Manohar Parrikar, who is fighting as an Independent after being denied a ticket by the BJP from the constituency once held by his father. The BJP has gone all out this time to claim Parrikar’s legacy, with some party leaders even saying he never wanted his son in politics.
He is up against BJP candidate and sitting MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate. A seasoned politician, Monserrate has lost only once — to Parrikar’s protégé Siddharth Kuncalienkar in 2017. He joined the BJP in July 2019 and won the Panaji bypoll in 2019 after Parrikar’s death. Monserrate had also played a key role in Congress members’ defection to the BJP in 2019.
BJP insiders say Monserrate will be an influential factor in at three seats where he has previously contested, namely Santa Cruz, Taleigao and Panaji. He is also said to hold sway among a section of Catholic voters.
Utpal Parrikar, meanwhile, has opted for the sympathy card and accused the BJP of treating him unfairly and disrespecting his father’s hard work for the party.
Defending the decision to not give Utpal the Panaji ticket, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told News18: “Utpal was asked to choose from three seats and leave Panaji for the sitting MLA. Senior leaders spoke to him and tried to reason with him. But a party worker cannot be this stubborn.”
Poriem: Rumble of the Ranes
Poriem Assembly constituency in Goa has been a stronghold of the Congress with Pratapsingh Rane being elected from here since 1972. This time, however, Rane has withdrawn from the fight as his daughter-in-law Deviya Rane is contesting on a BJP ticket. Vishwajit Rane, the husband of Deviya Rane and son of Pratapsingh Rane, is contesting from Valpoi constituency and is said to have pull in Poriem as well.
To retain its bastion, the Congress has fielded Ranjeet Singh Rane, whose father Jaysinghrao Rane had been an MLA when Goa was a Union Territory.
The AAP has fielded Vishwajit Krishnarao Rane, who had been a runner-up in previous elections when he contested on a BJP ticket.
Margao: Ex-CM vs Deputy CM
Former chief minister and Congress leader Digambar Kamat is contesting for the eight time from Margao. The BJP has fielded Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Babu Ajgaonkar, who had won from Pernem constituency the last time. BJP sources Ajgaonkar was shifted to Margao to beat anti-incumbency in Pernem.
The seat falls in Salcete belt dominated by Catholics and is considered tough to crack for the BJP. Kamat is tipped to be one of the frontrunners for the chief minister’s post if the Congress is voted to power.
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