Goa Assembly election: In Panaji, it is Utpal’s ‘pride’ vs BJP’s ‘prejudice’

Seat promises to be a humdinger of a contest

As the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) goes to the Goa Assembly polls on February 14 for the first time bereft of the late Manohar Parrikar’s skillful leadership, the stakes for the Panaji constituency, which was held by him for nearly 25 years, have never been higher for the saffron party.

The tiny constituency, with its 23,000-odd voters, has become a microcosm of the party’s strategy and dilemmas as it contests all 40 seats for the first time on its own.

The BJP, which claims to be carrying forward Manohar Parrikar’s legacy, had calculatedly denied the Panaji ticket to Parrikar’s son Utpal Parrikar (41), fielding sitting MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate instead.