Goa Assembly election: In Panaji, it is Utpal’s ‘pride’ vs BJP’s ‘prejudice’
The Hindu
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.
The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the State government to file its statement of objections on an application filed by Bangalore Turf Club Ltd. (BTC), challenging the June 6 orders passed by the government in rejecting the BTC’s applications seeking permission to conduct on-course horse races and betting during the June-August season.