Not fielded by BJP, Goa ex-CM Parsekar resigns from party

The BJP has fielded MLA Dayanand Sopte as its candidate in the Mandrem constituency. Goa will elect a new assembly on February 14. Results will be declared on March 10.

Former Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday and announced that he would be contesting as an independent.

The three-term MLA and former state BJP president represented the Mandrem constituency in north Goa from 2002 until his defeat in 2017. (Hindustan Times)

The three-term MLA and former state BJP president represented the Mandrem constituency in north Goa from 2002 until his defeat in 2017. He said he was taken for granted by the party and ignored in favour of a non-performing MLA.

The BJP has fielded MLA Dayanand Sopte as its candidate in the Mandrem constituency. Goa will elect a new assembly on February 14. Results will be declared on March 10.

“The people are disappointed in the present MLA. I was claiming for the ticket. I am a disciplined soldier of the party, so I didn’t go to town with my grievances. But they took me for granted, thinking that I will not resign,” he said. “Even now there are people who think that I will not be able to bring myself to resign from the party. But it is high time. I am resigning from the BJP.”

“On January 20, it was announced that I was not getting the ticket. My supporters were intensely disappointed, but it soon became a demand that I should resign and contest as an independent,” Parsekar said.

The former chief minister said that he sensed that there was popular anger in the constituency over the non-performance of the current MLA over stalled projects and a lack of new projects.

Explaining the reasons why he lost, Parsekar said that during his tenure as chief minister, he got caught up in administrative work, which widened the gap between him and his voters.

“At the time I didn’t campaign at all. I was the chief minister and the gap between me and the people widened. I was staying in Panjim since I had to focus on administration at the time,” he said.