Panaji, Jan 29 (IANS): Goa's late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's son, Utpal, was not denied a ticket, in fact he was offered two other constituencies as options to contest from, the BJP's poll in-charge for the coastal state Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in Mapusa town, Fadnavis also said that there were limitations to the party's outreach efforts to bring back into the fold rebels like Utpal Parrikar and former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
"Utpal Parrikar has not been denied a ticket. We have given Utpal Parrikar the option to contest in two constituencies. One of them was a traditional BJP bastion, but he wanted to contest from the Panaji (assembly) constituency in particular. He rejected both assembly constituencies. We are sad that he is not with us," Fadnavis said.
Utpal Parrikar quit the BJP last week after he was denied a ticket to contest from the Panaji Assembly constituency, which was represented by his father from 1994 to 2019, when he died in office.
Utpal Parrikar has claimed that he took the decision because of the tainted background of the BJP's official candidate Atanasio Monserrate, who is being probed for raping a minor girl in 2018.
Another major rebellion faced by the BJP is the one by Parsekar, who also quit the BJP and has filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate, after his claim for a ticket was also rejected in favour of sitting MLA Dayanand Sopte, who joined the saffron Party from the Congress in 2019.
Fadnavis said that efforts to bring in both the rebels are back, but added that there is limitation to such outreach.
"It is always our wish, that if someone from our family is separated, then they should come back to the family. Such efforts are on. But if someone has decided that they do not want to come back, then there are limitations to our efforts too, but if someone does decide to return to the family, then we will certainly welcome them and bring them closer," he said.
Elections to 40 seats of the state legislative Assembly are scheduled to be held on February 14.