PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will announce the constituency from where he intends to contest the by-elections on Wednesday.
He is likely to contest from his Panjim, which he has been elected five times, before he stepped down in November 2014 to join the Union cabinet as Defence Minister. “I will call a press conference tomorrow (Wednesday) morning,” he said after the special session of the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
BJP sources confirmed that Parrikar has zeroed-in on his traditional constituency. If he does select Panjim, sitting MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker, who won the by-polls in 2015 and retained the seat in the 2017 elections, will have to vacate the seat for his predecessor.
At every public and workers’ meeting, Parrikar has hinted at contesting from Panjim. BJP’s Nilesh Cabral, Michael Lobo, Carlos Almeida, Kuncalienker and two others had volunteered to resign to allow Parrikar to contest.
