Team Herald
PANJIM: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the banner of Panjim First has announced its first list of 21 candidates for the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) polls scheduled on March 6. Of the 21 candidates, 13 are new faces, five are sitting councillors and three are former councillors.
Three councillors of the outgoing council have been dropped by the BJP. Two of those dropped are due to a performance audit, Narendra Sawaikar, who is heading the BJP’s CCP election committee, said. One other councillor, Shweta Lotlikar, has joined hands with Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate and her husband is contesting from the St Cruz MLA’s panel.
BJP has chosen a strong candidate Rama alias Vinay Naik to contest from ward number 7, where Lotlikar will contest as a candidate from the Monserrate panel.
BJP is yet to announce candidates to two wards in Taleigao constituency and seven wards in Panjim constituency. Sawaikar said these candidates will be announced within two days. The first list of 21 candidates includes five OBC and five women, one SC and one ST.
Sawaikar also made it clear that Defence minister Manohar Parrikar will not be campaigning for the polls. Development of Panjim and the work of their councillors in the past term will be the campaign issues, BJP said.
