The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Sadanand Tanavade as their candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat from Goa. Currently, the BJP and its allies hold 33 out of the 40 seats in the Goa Assembly, while the opposition Congress has three seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has two members, and the Goa Forward Party and Revolutionary Goans Party have one legislator each, making up the remaining seats.
Sadanand Shet Tanavade officially filed his nomination papers at the Goa Assembly complex. The Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, along with other MLAs, were present during the filing process. Expressing gratitude, Tanavade thanked BJP President JP Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP General Secretary BL Santhosh, and the Goa Chief Minister for the opportunity to be nominated for the Rajya Sabha seat.
“I am thankful to BJP president JP Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP general secretary BL Santhosh, Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and my party for giving me this opportunity,” Mr Tanavade said after filling the form.
Claiming the presence of all BJP MLAs and supporting party members during the nomination, Tanavade expressed his intention to request opposition MLAs to vote for him in the upcoming election. With the BJP and its allies holding a significant majority in the assembly, it remains to be seen how the opposition parties will respond.
Meanwhile, the AAP’s Goa president, Amit Palekar, announced that their party would not field a candidate for the Rajya Sabha poll due to their insufficient numbers. Palekar also stated that the AAP would not participate in the election process, as they do not wish to waste the precious time of the Assembly. He added that the AAP would consider contesting the Rajya Sabha election when they have sufficient representation in the Goa Assembly.
Regarding the possibility of supporting the Congress candidate, Palekar mentioned that his party is awaiting the announcement of the Congress candidate for the election. The stance of the AAP in this matter remains uncertain until further details are revealed.
