Parrikar returning to Goa politics? Must keep all options permanently open, he says

Asked if he would contest the 2017 Assembly polls, Parrikar shied away from a direct answer, choosing to play the strategy card instead.

Parrikar said such possibilities are never discussed, even if it is likely to happen because, strategically, if he says yes, he would get stuck, and even if he says no, he would get stuck.

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That Parrikar, a Rajya Sabha MP from Lucknow, isn’t adjusting to his Delhi life is evident from his weekend visits to Goa as well as his complaints about the lack of Goan food in the national capital. “As I am in Delhi, I am almost like an ambassador for Goa,” Parrikar had said, referring to his attempts to get funds for the state.

“Personally I always love Goa, not only politically but also to stay. Delhi is like a foreign land for me as other than the ministry I don’t have any roots in Delhi and at my age I don’t feel like developing new roots. Also my ministry is such that it is better not to develop new roots,” he said, adding that he missed Goan food as “it is not the same taste there (Delhi).”

Parrikar has been Goa chief minister thrice. Will he return to lead the state again? Express Photo/Rohit Jain Paras

The upcoming state elections – likely in February 2017 – is going to be an uphill task for the ruling BJP. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has been facing flak for what many are terming as his ‘misgovernance’ over a slew of issues including education grants, land-use planning, mining, and casino operations.

While the state BJP had earlier said it would be Parsekar who will lead the party to polls, Parrikar chose to maintain tight-lipped about it, saying as of now Parsekar was the leader until the party decided on a new one, if at all.

Parrikar had resigned as Goa chief minister – a position he held thrice – on November 8, 2014, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met with him, requesting him to head the Defence Ministry.