Utpal Parrikar meets Amit Shah in Delhi.
Gomantak Times
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, January 11, summoned Utpal Parrikar, the son of former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, to Delhi and asked him not to contest next month's Goa Assembly election under any circumstance.
Utpal has announced he will contest the next Assembly election from the Panaji constituency on a BJP ticket. The party, however, has not yet given a nod to his candidature.
He has been campaigning in Panjim for the past month and has also declared that he will contest as an independent candidate if he does not get any official candidature from BJP.
According to sources, the Union Home Minister held two detailed meetings with Junior Parrikar so far in the past two months and showed him the reports of the survey conducted by the BJP.
Utpal was told that Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate Monserrat holds much sway in the Panjim seat and has influence in the entire Tiswadi taluka. Besides, the 2022 elections are very important to BJP. Reportedly, Shah has told Utpal that, "if Parrikar's son loses, it will be a bad message for the party."
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has appealed to Utpal Parrikar to contest from the Panjim seat on the Shiv Sena ticket.
On January 6, Utpal had indicated that he would contest from the Panaji in the upcoming 2022 Goa assembly elections.
Utpal had tweeted a single-line tweet that he would be contesting as an Independent candidate. "Now no looking back....," he tweeted.
In the 2019 Panaji by-poll elections, which was necessitated due to the death of Parrikar. Utpal wanted to contest the by-poll. However, the BJP at the time denied him candidature and chose to field Sidharth Kuncalienker instead. The BJP lost the seat for the first time in 25 years to Atanasio Monserrate who was then with the Congress.
