The ruling party BJP seems to have completely become cornered over the selection of candidates for the forthcoming polls that is about to take place in a couple of months. There is huge discontent amongst the BJP Karyakartas (Party Workers) due to the entry of defected Congress MLAs and they do not want the party ditching their loyal colonels for the defectors.
The condition in both the constituency is very delicate and the former BJP candidates are ready to revolt if the tickets are not given to them. Mahadev Naik from Shiroda is busy preparing the grounds for regaining the Shiroda seat while the one of the most loyal party member and former Chief Minister of Goa Mr Laxmikant Parsekar is also not too happy with the decision of his BJP seniors, but the question is, if he revolts, does he contest the bypoll independently?
According to the reports published by the Indian Express Former Goa chief minister and senior BJP leader Laxmikant Parsekar Monday hinted that he could contest the upcoming Mandrem Assembly bypoll as an Independent candidate if his party refused to give him a ticket.
It may be recalled that the Congress MLA Mr Dayanand Sopte had defeated Mr Parsekar, the BJP candidate from Mandrem in the 2017 Assembly polls and now that same candidate has entered the BJP from the backdoors.
The sources have revealed that Mr Parsekar had a meeting with the BJP state General Secretary Mr Satish Dhond and asked him to carry out the survey to check the party’s chances of winning the election from Mandrem. Although he did not name Sopte while mentioning that the people will not accept the new person.
“I have been traditionally contesting from this constituency, and now the party workers want me to contest the bypoll. They feel if the BJP does not give me a ticket, then I should stand as an Independent,” Parsekar told PTI.
Meanwhile, according to the BJP chief Mr Vinay Tendulkar the selection process of the candidates for both the constituency is not yet started which means that even BJP is not sure about who will be contesting the forthcoming by-polls from both the constituency while the clear indications were given when both the Congress candidates defected their party and entered into BJP.
If what Tendulkar says is taken into the consideration then the fate of both the defected candidates remains in a dark and possibility of they contesting the by-polls on BJP ticket becomes dim.
In the meantime, Mr Parsekar has played his cards by giving the indication to the party leaders about his decision and exiting mentality of the people of his constituency towards the defectors.
Mandrem and Shiroda bypolls were necessitated after Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar resigned from the Goa Assembly and joined the ruling BJP in October last year.
