Goa Assembly polls 2022: Silent wave in my favour, says Utpal Parrikar

File image of the Goa night sky (Source: Unsplash)

Asserting that there is a silent wave in his favour, Utpal Parrikar, elder son of late Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is contesting the February 14 Assembly election as an independent candidate from the Panaji seat, has said he was a favoured choice after his father's death in 2019, but was denied poll ticket by the BJP due to local politics.

On the BJP offering him three seats other than Panaji for next week's election, Parrikar (41), a businessman, said the fight was "never for options". After being denied ticket by the BJP, Parrikar is contesting against sitting BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate, a local heavyweight.

Monserrate had defeated BJP candidate in the bypoll necessitated after the death of Manohar Parrikar in 2019, but in a coup, a bunch of Congress MLAs broke away from the party and joined the saffron fold months later. Monserratte's wife Jeniffer is an MLA from neighbouring Taleigao constituency, while their son is Mayor of Panaji.

"I was denied a ticket due to local politics in 2019 and I followed the party's decision, but then a person was brought in from the Congress who had such heinous charges against him that I am ashamed even to talk about it," Parrikar told.