Goa : BJP quells the rebellion

On Friday, the Goa BJP claimed it had successfully quell a rebellion by Shripad Naik's son Siddesh, who had been denied a ticket to contest the Cumbharjua assembly seat.

Asked about Siddesh's decision to support the BJP's official candidate Janita Naik, wife of party MLA Pandurang Madkaikar, who suffered a stroke last year, Sadanand Shet Tanavade said Siddesh had "agreed."

In spite of Madkaikar's recovery, the party's parliamentary board, the body that determines election tickets, nominated his wife for the ticket earlier this week, despite Siddesh Naik's request.

"Seeking a ticket is not wrong in a democracy. But if the ticket does not go as desired, then one should stay with the party," Tanavade said.

In addition, Siddesh Naik has proven that he can stand by the party even when things don't go his or her way. He passed that test, he also said.

Siddesh threatened to run as an independent candidate earlier this week after his claim for a ticket was rejected by the BJP. Senior BJP leaders in the state then convinced him otherwise.

Siddesh Tanavade has been named secretary of the party's state unit that is responsible for Vasco.

Until recently, Manohar Parrikar was the tallest leader for the BJP in the state, and his son Siddesh is his son.

Interestingly, Utpal Parrikar, the son of Parrikar, also defected from the party after he was denied a ticket for Panaji assembly seat, which his father has been representing since 1994.Utpal Parrikar has filed his nomination as an independent candidate.