Utpal Parrikar, the son of the late Manohar Parrikar, is still waiting to hear from the party about his nomination. The elder son of the former Chief Minister of Goa is seen as a frontrunner for the Panaji seat, which was held by his father since 1994. The bypoll on the seat will be held on May 19.
"The BJP is gearing up for the Panaji bypoll and the process to select the candidate will start soon," the party's Goa spokesman Damodar Naik told news agency Press Trust of India. He, however refused to confirm if Utpal Parrikar's name is being considered for the seat.
Utpal Parrikar, a 38-year-old businessman with a Master's degree from the US, had announced his intention to join politics soon after his father's death last month.
"The BJP has said I should be campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls in support of party candidate Shripad Naik," Utpal Parrikar was quoted as saying by PTI. But the errand, he added, would take him around the Panaji assembly segment, which is part of the North Goa Lok Sabha seat, which Mr Naik is contesting.
Asked if would be interested in contesting from Panaji, he said, "As I said, right now I am campaigning for Lok Sabha election. I am taking each day as it comes".
Damodar Naik said the party will select a candidate after a detailed survey in the constituency and taking into account factors like loyalty, winnability and commitment towards the party.
Manohar Parrikar died on March 17 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
When Manohar Parrikar shifted to Delhi as the defence minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, his close aide Siddharth Kunkolienkar held the seat. He vacated the seat in 2017, when Manohar Parrikar returned to Goa as its Chief Minister.
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