Former Goa CM Laxmikant Parsekar to quit BJP after being denied ticket

The resentment in the BJP camp over ticket distribution escalated as former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said he will contest as an independent candidate from the Mandrem constituency in the next month's Goa Assembly elections.

The former chief minister said he will resign from all the party positions held by him on Sunday.

"I don't have a party ticket but I have people's ticket. I feel that people want me to contest and I am getting ready for it. I just have asked for two days to finish all the pending party work. and, go independent this election," Parsekar told reporters on Friday.

He said he was approached by two-three parties, however, he declined the offer. "Two to three parties came to me, to join them but that is too much for me. People have no hope from the Congress party and all that they are getting is a disappointment for them," Pareskar said.

"Last time Amit Shah told me that there was a reason to take the Congress candidate into BJP to make the party strong but now there is nothing like that as in the last 5 years no developmental work has been done," he added.

Parekar became Goa's CM in November 2014 when former Goa chief minister late Manohar Parrikar was elevated to the Union Cabinet as the country's Defence Minister.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, Laxmikant Parsekar lost to Congress candidate Dayanand Sopte from the Mandrem constituency by 4,000 votes.

On Thursday, BJP released its list of 34 candidates for the upcoming Goa Assembly election. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will contest from Sanquelim while former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal Parrikar has been denied a ticket from Panaji. Sitting MLA Atanasio Monserrate will contest from Panaji.

BJP has given sitting MLA Dayanand Sopte, who switched over to BJP from Congress in 2019, a party's ticket from Mandrem.

The election for the 40 seats will take place on February 14, and the ballots will be counted on March 10.