“With BJP, will support BJP”: Goa NCP (Ajit Pawar) denies fielding candidates for Lok Sabha polls

PANAJI: In a press statement issued today, the Goa unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) has denied that they are fielding any candidate for the Lok Sabha polls and will support both the candidates announced by the BJP.

A statement signed by Shambhu M Parab, State President of the NCP (Ajit Pawar) in Goa said: The NCP is in alliance with the BJP and is sharing power with the BJP in Maharashtra and Nagaland. As an alliance partner of the BJP, the NCP Goa unit will fulfill coalition dharma and support the BJP candidate in both North and South Goa. We are with the BJP and will support both the BJP candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The press note also denied an earlier report that a former CM could be a prospective candidate from South Goa.

As reported earlier, this website had claimed that former Goa CM and Benaulim strongman Churchill Alemao could possibly contest the Lok Sabha polls – maybe as an independent or on an NCP ticket – as he himself had shown ample inclination to contest the polls on several occasions in the past.

The Goa NCP (Ajit Pawar) unit has denied the report and said that they are partners with the BJP and will not field any candidate, but will support the official BJP candidate announced by the party.

As far as Churchill Alemao is concerned, he was unavailable for comment. However, there are whispers in Benaulim constituency that Alemao may be joining the BJP in the run up to the polls.