Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Friday distanced himself from electoral politics.
“I have decided not to contest the elections and I want to bring the party back to power with an absolute majority in the 2022 elections,” Tanavade said, while referring to reports in a section of press that he will also be a candidate.
Tanavade said that as a president he will try to convince aspirants to rally behind the official candidate and if he succeeds in that then he will consider it to be his success and if not his failure.
He was speaking as Bicholim councillor Nilesh Pokle along with his supporters joined the BJP. Pokle said that soon after municipal elections results, he had supported the BJP-backed panel and decided to join the party after consulting his workers and voters. He denied that he was aspiring for the party ticket.
To a question, Tanavade hinted that Goa Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar will be a frontrunner from Bicholim constituency for the next elections. Councillor Pokle’s entry into party was due to initiative of Patnekar and he being a Speaker declined to attend the function. “When we do this (admission) process, should I need to tell more,” he said giving enough inferences.
Tanavade said that BJP national general secretary C T Ravi will release e-book on Seva Hi Sangathan and deliver a talk on the life and work of party’s icon Dr Shayam Prasad Mukherjee, on his birth anniversary on July 6.
