Goa: Sacked Congressman to challenge Parrikar in by-poll

Monserrate was sacked from the Congress for anti-party activities in 2015.

Panaji, May 11: The Congress is wooing Atanasio Monserrate, a former minister expelled from the party for "anti-party" activities, for the upcoming state assembly by-poll in Panaji against Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Speaking to reporters late on Thursday, after a meeting of Congress legislators, AICC General Secretary Chella Kumar said that Monserrate was in touch with the party and a decision on his candidature would be arrived at soon.

"All I can say is the Congress will field a formidable candidate against Parrikar. We are in talks with Monserrate. It seems positive. A decision will be made in a couple of days," Kumar said.

Monserrate was sacked from the Congress for anti-party activities in 2015. The Panaji by-poll got necessitated after Parrikar, a former Defence Minister, was rushed back into the state politics by the Bharatiya Janata Party in March earlier this year.

Parrikar, who heads a BJP-led coalition government, continues to be a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and has announced his candidature from the Panaji assembly seat.

Parrikar was an MLA from Panaji from 1994 to 2014, before he was elevated to the Union Cabinet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Defence Minister.

IANS