'I gave a good fight': Utpal Parrikar after losing to BJP's Atanasio Monserratte

Independent candidate Utpal Parrikar, the son of Goa’s former Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, who left the BJP in a huff after being denied a ticket, did not win from the Panaji Assembly seat on Thursday (March 10). He lost to BJP’s Atanasio Monserratte, a former Congress leader who had been a fierce rival of the late Manohar Parrikar when the Union minister was alive.

After the end of the last round of counting, Monserratte won by 674 votes, an election official said. “I gave a good fight”, said Utpal Parrikar, who bagged 5,857 votes, while leaving the counting station.

Monserratte polled 6,531 votes, while Congress candidate Elvis Gomes got 3,062 votes.
After the BJP refused a ticket to Utpal Parrikar, he contested the election as an independent. However, Monserratte, was unhappy since he had won by a low margin and  alleged that the BJP cadres in the state capital Panaji did not accept him in the party.

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He told the media, “I have joined BJP two years ago. BJP cadre has not accepted me in the party. The party did nothing from day one.” According to  him, the BJP did not support him in his battle with Utpal Parrikar.

“I fought the unofficial candidate of the BJP (Utpal Parrikar) as well as the Congress,” said Monserratte, adding that they had managed to retain the seat because of the support of a few workers and other people who  had backed him.

BJP has defied exit poll predictions in Goa. It was expected to be in a close battle with the Congress, with the latter expected to make major gains in Goa. The Congress had even dispatched Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar to the island state in case the BJP embarked on Operation Lotus and poached its winning candidates to form a government.