NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Withholding announcement of shortlisted candidates in crucial Pernem, Mayem, Sanvordem and Canacona constituencies, presently represented by Rajendra Arlekar, Anant Shet, Ganesh Gaonkar and Ramesh Tawadkar, respectively, as well as Cumbharjua, till recently held by the new entrant to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Pandurang Madkaikar, the state election committee of the BJP on Friday announced 21 of its shortlisted candidates for the forthcoming state assembly election. These names were earlier forwarded by the state core committee of the party.
South Goa Member of Parliament, Narendra Sawaikar, coming out with this information said that the names of the shortlisted candidates in remaining constituencies would soon be cleared by the state BJP core committee, and sent to the state election committee headed by state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar by January 9.
“The state election committee, in turn, will forward it to the national Parliamentary Board of the BJP, which is slated to meet on January 10,” he added, pointing out that the Board would then officially announce the final list of party’s candidates for Goa. The 21 candidates cleared by the state BJP election committee include Laxmikant Parsekar (Mandrem), Glenn Ticlo (Aldona), Kiran Kandolkar (Tivim), Francis D’Souza (Mapusa), Dayanand Mandrekar (Siolim), Michael Lobo (Calangute), Dilip Parulekar (Saligao), Sidharth Kunkalienkar (Panaji), Dattaprasad Naik (Taleigao), Pramod Sawant (Sanquelim) and Rajesh Patnekar (Bicholim) in North Goa constituencies, while Mahadev Naik (Shiroda), Subhash Phaldesai (Sanguem), Nilesh Cabral (Curchorem), Rajan Naik (Cuncolim), Damodar ‘Damu’ Naik (Fatorda), Arthur D’Silva (Curtorim), Carlos Almeida (Vasco), Mauvin Godinho (Dabolim), Milind Naik (Mormugao) and Alina Saldanha (Cortalim) in South Goa constituencies.
Speaking further, Sawaikar said that once the national BJP Parliamentary Board clears the candidates of the party, the process for filing their nominations would begin. “In fact, we have carried out our assessment for all 40 electoral constituencies, and forwarded our related feedback to the state election committee of the party,” he noted.
Replying to a question as to whether there were more than one candidate shortlisted in the abovementioned 21 constituencies, the South Goa MP said that all the names had been accepted unanimously.
Meanwhile, the state core committee of the BJP on Friday carried out discussions with the mandals as well as party supporters from Ponda, Priol and Navelim constituencies for shortlisting the candidates in these constituencies. Minister for Water Resources Dayanand Mandrekar was also present at the press briefing.