Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Oct 24: Former Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar has expressed his willingness to rejoin the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contest the 2027 Assembly election from Mandrem constituency, BJP state president Damodar ‘Damu’ Naik said.
Naik said the BJP had opened its doors to everyone who subscribed to the party’s ideology. Asked when Parsekar would formally rejoin the party, he said, “He has to join. Senior members who have moved away from party should come back and contribute to the growth of the party. I cannot say what’s the exact date of him joining, but we have discussed it.”
About a year ago, Parsekar had said he was ready to return to the BJP and that the decision on the timing of his re-entry rested with the party. A two-time former BJP state president, Parsekar severed ties with the party in 2022 after being denied its candidature from Mandrem.
He recently visited the newly inaugurated BJP headquarters on the day of its inauguration, fuelling speculation about his return to the party.
Parsekar, who was the incumbent chief minister during the 2017 Assembly election, lost the Mandrem seat to Congress candidate Dayanand Sopte by more than 7,000 votes. Sopte joined the BJP in 2018.
Parsekar’s resignation in 2022 brought an end to his over three-decade-long association with the BJP. A member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he joined the BJP in 1988 and contested his first election in 1989, but lost his deposit.
Coming from a family of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) supporters, Parsekar faced opposition within his family over his decision to contest on a BJP ticket. He had said he “left his own home” for almost 12 years after joining the BJP.
In 1994, Parsekar could not contest on a BJP ticket as the party had entered into an alliance with the MGP, with the Mandrem constituency allotted to the regional party. He contested the seat in 1999 but lost, although he managed to retain his deposit.
Parsekar won his first Assembly election in 2002 and went on to secure victories in 2007 and 2012. In November 2014, he became Goa chief minister after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducted then chief minister Manohar Parrikar into the Union Cabinet as Defence Minister.
Parsekar became the second BJP chief minister of Goa after Parrikar and remained in office until his defeat to Sopte in the 2017 Assembly election.
Over the years, Parsekar held several organisational positions in the BJP, including state president, general secretary and secretary. He first became BJP state president in 1999 and returned to the post in 2010.