The Congress in Goa on Friday formally fielded All India Congress Committee secretary Girish Chodankar for the Panaji Assembly bypoll against Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Girish filed his nomination papers in presence of State party president Shantaram Naik and AICC secretary in-charge of Goa A Chellakumar.
“This is going to be a battle against me and our former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is known for his lies. The people of Panaji have to decide, whether they want to vote for someone who has cheated them for over two decades or a fresh face,” Chodankar told reporters after filing his nomination papers.
The bypoll in Panaji was necessitated after Parrikar’s return to State politics as Chief Minister in March this year and sitting BJP MlA Sidharth Kuncolienkar resigned in the top BJP leader’s favour.
Anand Shirodkar, former State president of the Goa Suraksha Manch, a regional political outfit backed by now-sacked State Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh sanghachalak Subhash Velingkar has also filed his nomination from Panaji.
In the other bypoll in Valpoi, also scheduled for August 23, former Home Minister’s son Roy Naik filed his nomination papers on Congress ticket. Naik faces Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who was elected on a Congress ticket in the February elections, but later resigned to join te BJP-led coalition Government as Minister.