PANJIM: “It’s time for Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik to take a break from active politics and pave way for new aspirants,” opined former Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte on Monday, who too expressed his desire to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Sopte said that five-time North Goa MP should now take a break from politics and that he was ready to contest the ensuing Lok Sabha elections on the BJP ticket if asked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Sopte said, “There is a view among the party workers that after attaining the age of 73, Bhau (Shripad) should take rest. There is also a feeling in the family too that our elders, after toiling hard for the family, should now rest.”
Sopte’s statement drew a sarcastic remark from the Union Minister, who while speaking to a section of the media, said, “With Tulsi Vivah, wedding season has commenced and there are many bride grooms who are ready to tie the knot.”
Naik said that he was a senior BJP leader and the decision about his candidature will be taken by the party’s central leadership, which will also review his performance as a parliamentarian.
Sopte, who lost the Mandrem seat in 2022 assembly polls, is not the first former MLA to stake claim for the party ticket. A few months back, former minister Dilip Parulekar had stated that he was ready to contest Lok Sabha elections if a ticket was offered to him.
Parulekar who was denied renomination by the party in the last assembly polls had claimed that he has been offered a bigger role in the party organisation.
