Parrikar aide, ex-RSS chief join race for Panaji seat

Panaji, April 29 (IANS) Former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar and late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's aide Sidharth Kuncalienkar filed nomination papers for the May 19 Panaji Assembly by-election, here on Monday.

While Velingkar represents the Goa Suraksha Manch, a regional political party, Kuncalienkar, who twice filled in as Panaji MLA when Parrikar was serving as Defence Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led cabinet, filed his papers on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Kuncalienkar who on Sunday beat Parrikar's son Utpal in the race for the Panaji by-election ticket, on Monday said he would take forward Parrikar's vision for the city. "Parrikar had a vision for the city. He had several plans for making Panaji a better place with top class infrastructure. We will take this vision ahead," Kuncalienkar said.

Parrikar, Panaji MLA from 1994 to 2014, handpicked Kuncalienkar to contest the by-election after he was appointed Defence Minister. Kuncalienkar won Panaji seat in 2017 Assembly elections, but quit after Parrikar returned to state politics later that year.

His opponent Velingkar, known to have groomed top BJP leaders in the state, including Parrikar, said the BJP had taken corruption of convenience and corruption to the extreme and he would uproot the foundation of the BJP corrupt regime which was in Panaji.

"We will purify Goan politics. Those who say 'Na khaunga na khane dunga' are themselves corrupt. The BJP and Parrikar have scaled the politics of convenience and corruption. The Goa Suraksha Manch will uproot it in Panaji," Velingkar said.

Apart from Kuncalienkar and Velingkar, the by-election is also being contested by Atanasio Monserrate of the Congress and Valmiki Naik of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).