Team Herald
PANJIM: The suspense over the BJP candidate for the Panjim by-poll is expected to end on Saturday, two days before the last day for filing of nominations.
The State BJP has sent the names of Siddharth Kuncalienkar and Utpal Parrikar to its Central Committee and sources say that Kuncalienkar is said to be a strong contender.
“We feel the Central Committee will approve Sidharth’s name for the by-poll considering that he sacrificed his seat for then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in 2017. But let us wait for an official communication, which is most likely to be conveyed to BJP Goa unit on Saturday morning,” said a reliable party source.
BJP is the only party left to announce its candidate as the other main parties have already announced their candidates and some have also filed their nominations.
Asked on the delay in finalising the candidate, a senior BJP leader said the party’s central committee members were busy in Varanasi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination and held road shows.
The BJP has held various meeting of corporators affiliated to the party from the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP), office bearers and others to discuss the name of probable candidates before sending it to the Central Committee earlier this week. The party’s Panjim unit also met and discussed names.
The party has been divided into two groups for Utpal as being Parrikar’s son, he would carry forward his father’s legacy; and another for Siddharth keeping in mind the sacrifice of his seat in the last assembly election.
