It was a political denouement writ large on the wall but everyone was still waiting for the cliffhanger to end. Will he? Won’t he? Will Utpal Parrikar, son of Manohar Parrikar, Goa’s most-loved chief minister, get a Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket to contest from Panaji, a constituency that his father held and nurtured since 1994 until his demise in 2019?
Whispers were loud and insinuations many. The BJP wasn't revealing much before the release of the final list of candidates for the assembly elections; other parties were dropping hints and throwing baits. Devendra Fadnavis, BJP’s election in charge for Goa, categorically stated that "being the son of a big leader is not a guarantee of getting a party ticket in BJP"; Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal slammed BJP for "its use and throw policy" towards Parrikar family and invited Utpal Parrikar to join AAP ahead of the Goa polls. On the other hand, Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena promised support of the Sena-NCP alliance if he promised not to support the BJP after election results are announced.
Also read: Goa Assembly Polls 2022 | AAP, TMC muddy the waters for Congress further
Amidst all the political shenanigans and opportunism, the man at the centre of the hullaballoo stood adamant. Either the BJP ticket of his father’s stronghold. Or nothing. In the end, it was a big snub from the BJP. Utpal Parrikar did not get the constituency he wanted. He quit the BJP but refused to stray from Panaji. He is contesting the February 14 election as an independent candidate from Panaji with the incumbent BJP MLA Atanasio ‘Babush' Monserrate as the lead opponent.
“I was left with no other choice,” Utpal Parrikar told reporters soon after his exit from the party and admitted that “BJP will always remain in my heart”. But the questions - and obvious heartache - started tumbling soon after. Parrikar questioned the BJP’s inability to distinguish between integrity and corruption and in an interview to a local channel professed that he is willing to go back to his “private life” if the party weeds candidates with criminal antecedents - the dart clearly being thrown at Atanasio ‘Babush' Monserrate, the Panaji MLA who is an accused in the infamous 2008 police station attack case as well as a rape case.
“It is not about power or a post. I am not doing this to be an MLA or minister. It is about values that my father stood for and it is time for me to stand up for those values. I cannot negotiate with my party. That is the only political platform I have. I am taking a very high risk. I have the support of the people of Panaji and let them decide the fate of my political career,” he said in a press conference.
It is important to note here that the BJP had offered other seat options to Parrikar but he refused to accept candidature for any other constituency.
In Goa, the Parrikar surname evokes love and loyalty. The locals hold Manohar Parrikar in high esteem, often repeating stories about his honesty and competence as the state’s chief minister. While Manohar Parrikar was alive, he was the pivot around which the BJP functioned in the state. No one knew much about his two sons Utpal and Abhijit. However, suddenly after the death of his father in 2019, Utpal Parrikar appeared on the political firmament. All that the bearded technocrat had was the famous surname - Parrikar. There was nothing brighter on his political curriculum vitae. The Panaji assembly seat had fallen vacant and Utpal Parrikar staked a quick claim.
The political beginning was disconcerting. Manohar Parrikar did not want his son to join politics, a fact Utpal admitted even while waiting for the BJP to announce his candidature for the 2019 by-election.
“Bhai (Parrikar) did not want me to come into politics. This cannot be termed as family raj. Now my father is not there. I am an independent person. I have my independent identity,” Utpal had famously said. That independent identity did not bring along a party ticket for him. For Panaji by-election, the BJP fielded former MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar, who lost to then Congress loyal Atanasio ‘Babush' Monserrate. Later, Monserrate hopped over to the BJP and in a quirk of fate, he is Utpal Parrikar’s main opponent in the forthcoming election.
Now that Utpal Parrikar has decided to test his mettle without the backing of a political party, the jury is out on his political capability and future. Questions are countless. A few are left wondering why Utpal Parrikar did not accept the BJP’s offer of another constituency. Why only Panaji? He can carry forward his father’s legacy from another constituency, too. Or wait for a 2027 big launch. Why? Even those rooting for Parrikar do not know much about him. They’ll tell you he is a technocrat, he is media-shy, has a clean record but the conversation invariably meanders towards the senior Parrikar and his goodness. The past Parrikar was more eloquent than the present Parrikar. Another pack sliding towards Utpal Parrikar is the anti-incumbents, weary and wary of the current leadership.
The guessing game is on. Not that Twitter Moods mirror to reality, but one Twitter Mood making the rounds is “Who does #TwitterGoa see winning the Panaji seat?” The question comes with a rider: “This is not whom you gonna vote. It is who do you see winning”. The Twitter Mood predicts a clear victory for Utpal Parrikar - 55% believe he will win the Panaji seat.
(Parrikar had not responded to the calls and message sent to his phone at the time of publication. This story will be updated with his response as and when it comes.)
On March 10, 2022, the numbers will reveal whether Utpal Parrikar will walk into Goa’s Legislative Assembly as a first-time MLA. If he does win, it will be a victory of the Parrikar surname. The first name will not be the clincher.
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