Goa: After quitting BJP, Parsekar to contest as Independent

Panaji: Former Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who has resigned from the BJP after being denied ticket for the next month's state Assembly polls, on Sunday said he will contest the election from Mandrem constituency as an independent.

Parsekar, a veteran leader, said he has tendered his resignation on Saturday and left all the posts in the party.

At the time of his resignation, Parsekar was the head of the ruling party's manifesto committee for the February 14 Assembly polls.

He said that after his resignation, several political parties have approached him, but he would prefer to contest the election as an independent candidate. "I will soon file my nomination," he added.

The 65-year-old politician was upset after the party denied him ticket from Mandrem Assembly segment. The BJP has fielded sitting MLA Dayanand Sopte from the constituency, which Parsekar had represented between 2002 and 2017.