NT NETWORK
Panaji
Exasperated by the self-declaration by many of its leaders as regards their candidature for the 2022 Goa assembly elections, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said that although the final decision about the BJP candidates for this election would be taken by the parliamentary board of the party, the state election committee would recommend only those who would clear the ‘winnability’ criteria.
Coming out with this information, state BJP president Sadanand Tanawade said that a few new leaders of his party, who had contested the 2017 state assembly elections and lost, as well as some of the senior BJP leaders have ambition to contest the state assembly polls. However, they should first consider their prospects at this election.
“The BJP is not a dharmashala or a guesthouse, where everyone can seek the candidature for the election,” he remarked, stating that the BJP wants to win the assembly polls with a majority and form the government.
Speaking to media persons during a programme at the city BJP headquarters to induct into the party Independent councillor of the Bicholim municipal council Nilesh Tople, Tanawade said that many of the BJP leaders are using some newspapers to lobby for their candidature, but it would not work.
“A newspaper has even cited my name as the probable candidate for this election,” the state BJP president maintained, pointing out that he is not interested
in contesting the particular poll.
“I am only interested in bringing back the BJP to power in Goa,” he noted, pointing out, “And then, if I am able to pacify the countless claimants to the BJP candidature, then I would consider it my big achievement.”
Tanawade brushed aside the recent statement of former chief minister and senior BJP leader Laxmikant Parsekar that any political party can form its government by importing MLAs from other political party, but in no way grow through such acts.
Stating that such statements would not affect the prospects of the BJP at the hustings, the state BJP president said that his party has never expanded by taking the support of its government, but has always grown with the support of its workers and organisation.
“Today, if the BJP is the top political party in Goa then it is due to its countless workers,” he stated.
Tanawade said that many of the BJP workers have not received an opportunity to even contest the village panchayat polls, but it does not mean that they are inferior to those, who have contested.
“We have same respect for all our members, irrespective of whether they are leaders or party workers,” he noted.
Replying to a question as to whether the ten MLAs, who had left Congress to join the BJP, would receive party’s candidature for the 2022 assembly elections, Tanawade said the decision about which BJP candidate would contest in which constituency is yet to be taken.