Team Herald

PANJIM: After the April 23 elections, the focus now shifts on the upcoming Panjim by-poll, which has become a prestige issue for the BJP being the party’s bastion for two-and-half decades. 

Sources said the BJP would hold its crucial core committee meeting on Wednesday to finalise its candidate even as Utpal Parrikar, son of ex-CM (late) Manohar Parrikar whom BJP is projecting to be his father’s successor is said to be a frontrunner. However, the party is split on this probable decision as another group demands fielding Siddhart Kuncalienkar considering that he sacrificed his seat to pave way for Parrikar, then union defence minister, to contest the by-election in 2017 and enter Goa Assembly. 

The Congress too is expected to hold a meeting to decide its candidates although the recent entrant Atanasio Monserrate is expected to be pitted against other candidates. 

Monserrate had lost the 2017 Assembly elections to Kuncalienkar in 2017 by mere margin of thousand votes. Joining the party for the third time, Monserrate was sacked by the Congress in 2015 for anti-party activities after which he joined Goa Forward Party. 

Having won the Assembly constituency eight times, the upcoming by-poll is a testing time for the ruling BJP as it does not have the presence of popular leader Manohar Parrikar. 

The process for filing of nominations for May 19 by-elections began on Monday and the last date is April 29. The scrutiny of application will take place on April 30 and the last date for withdrawal is May 2. Counting will take place on May 23 along with that of Lok Sabha elections and three other Assembly constituencies. 

Besides the two major parties, Aam Aadmi Party and Goa Suraksha Manch are also contesting the by-poll. The by-election for this Assembly constituency would be held along with five other assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.