BJP denies ticket to Parrikar’s son, fields former aide for Panaji bypoll

Panaji, Apr 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded late Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's aide Sidharth Kuncalienkar as its candidate for the Panaji assembly seat bypolls, ignoring the candidature of his son Utpal Parrikar.

The bypoll was required after former union defence minister and chief minister Manohar Parrikar passed away on March 17.

While there was speculation that Parrikar's elder son Utpal would be given a ticket, a statement on the BJP's website about Kunkolienkar's candidature put an end to it.

The BJP's Central Election Committee secretary Jagat Prakash Nadda announced the candidature of Kunkolienkar on Sunday afternoon.

Incidentally, Kunkolienkar had won the seat in the 2017 Assembly polls before vacating it on May 10 that year to allow Parrikar to contest and enter the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly.

Parrikar, who was then Union defence minister, was brought back to helm the state government after the BJP fell short of a simple majority and had to ally with other parties like Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), as well as Independents.