PANJIM: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s close aide, Krishnaraj Sukerkar ‘Raju’, is set to contest the 2017 Assembly elections on a Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) ticket and challenge BJP’s Siddharth Kunkolienkar in Panjim.
After breaking ties with the saffron party along with the then RSS Goa Chief Subhash Velingkar over the Medium of Instruction (MoI) issue, Sukerkar, a former RSS (North Goa) Chief joined hands with GSM on Monday. Notwithstanding his past BJP links, Sukerkar said he is focused in propagating the party’s ideals. “GSM is 110 per cent convinced that whatever I do, it is with sincerity,” he said on Monday.
The GSM leader, whose name often cropped up in the BJP camp as a candidate only to be set aside later, said that his relations with Parrikar are personal. “Parrikar has visited my house. He is my friend but for us, friendship and political relations are separate,” he said.
Earlier, GSM President Anand Shirodkar announced Sukerkar’s entry into the party and confirmed his candidature from Panjim. “In times when people lobby for tickets, we had to request Sukerkar to contest from Panjim. He has earned this ticket due to his social work and popularity in the constituency,” he said.
Parrikar represented Panjim from 1994 to November 2014 when he was inducted into the Union cabinet as Defence Minister. The bypolls in February 2015 saw BJP’s Kunkolienkar succeeding Parrikar. It was at this time that differences between Parrikar and Sukerkar triggered off, as he was again sidelined as a candidate.
