Utpal Parrikar vs Sidharth Kuncalienker for Panaji bypoll ticket, decision today

PANAJI: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state election committee has cleared two names, former Panaji MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker and former CM Manohar Parrikar’s son Utpal Parrikar as probable candidates for the Panaji byelection.
Speaking to TOI, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar said that the names will be sent to Delhi for final selection.“The candidate’s name will be declared on Thursday by the central election committee,” Tendulkar said.The Panaji byelection is scheduled on May 19.
Utpal and Kuncalienker have started meeting prominent people in Panaji as also party workers. State BJP leaders have also held a series of consultative meetings with BJP councillors in the Corporation of the City of Panaji, BJP’s Panaji block and prominent BJP supporters. Sources said that the two names emerged during the consultation process. Four BJP office bearers- organisational secretary Satish Dhond, power minister Nilesh Cabral, general secretary Sadanand Shet Tanawade and Tendulkar also held one-on-one discussions with party workers.
Sources said that party workers were asked whom they preferred as their candidate for Panaji and the reason behind the preference. During the discussion, some party workers pitched for Utpal stating that if he is given the ticket, the party will remain united in the bypoll. Congress has announced Atanasio Monserrate as its candidate for the byelection. Some BJP workers supported Kuncalienker as BJP’s candidate citing the 2017 election in which he defeated Monserrate. A political observer said when Monserrate is contesting on a Congress ticket, BJP will have to face one of the toughest battles for Panaji. Former CM Parrikar has been winning the Panaji seat since he first contested the assembly election in 1994.