Panaji: Goa BJP has received another jolt, former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Laxmikant Parsekar quits party following party denied ticket to him for next months’ Assembly elections.

On Friday, Utpal Parrikar, son of former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who quit the BJP and announced to contest as an Independent candidate from the Panaji constituency.

Mr. Parsekar who succeeded Manohar Parrikar after later become Defence minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet in 2019, said that he does not wish to remain in the party and will submit his resignation to primary membership of the party.

65- year old leader currently heads the BJP’s manifesto committee for the upcoming Goa elections and is also a member of the party’s core committee.

BJP has given a ticket to sitting MLA, Dayanand Sopte from Mandrem Assembly Constituency, which was represented by Mr. Parsekar between 2002 and 2017.

Mr. Sopte has defeated Mr. Parsekar in the 2017 Assembly elections as a Congress candidate, later he defected to the ruling BJP in 2019 along with 9 Congress legislators.

"As of now, I have decided to resign. What I should be doing next, would be decided later," Mr Parsekar told Press Trust of India.

The BJP has announced its first list of 34 candidates for the February 14 Goa Assembly elections. There are total of 40 seats in the state. In the list, it has omitted the name of Utpal Parrikar.