Team Herald
PANJIM: Unattached St Cruz MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate finally announced that his future lies with Panjim constituency which has been represented by BJP for several years. Monserrate, who was elected on a Congress ticket in the March 2012 polls from St Cruz, said he will contest the 2017 Assembly polls from Panjim.
“I have been successfully forming the panel in CCP for the last three tenures so my supporters have decided that I should contest from Panijm this time,” Monserrate told Herald. His wife Jennifer, currently the Congress MLA from Taleigao, has not decided about her future plans.
Addressing his supporters late Friday night, Monserrate said that based on the response he got from them he has decided to contest from Panjim. Among the supporters present were Panjim Mayor Surendra Furtado, former Mayors Yatin Parekh and Tony Rodrigues, present and former councilors of the CCP. Monserrate has already started the process to register his newly-formed United Goans Party.
In 2012 Monserrate had changed his constituency and contested from St Cruz leaving Taleigao to his wife. Both were elected on Congress tickets but he was expelled after the Panjim bypolls for anti-party activities and supporting BJP.
The constituency is presently represented by BJP’s Siddharth Kunkolienkar after former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was elevated as Defence Minister.
There has been speculation that Kunkolienkar might contest from St Andre constituency.
However, when Herald asked him about this he said, “I am ready for any task given by the party which I will fulfill to my best ability. I will continue my work for the people, for the constituency.”
