Apart from the multi-cornered battle with several parties, next month’s Goa Assembly elections will be an interesting affair for another reason – at least five couples will test their electoral fortunes.
If all of them are elected, they will constitute a quarter of the total strength of the 40-member Goa House.
Bharatiya Janata Party ,BJP), which currently rules the state, has fielded two couples and has also nominated one of its leaders, while his wife will contest as an independent. Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) have given tickets to a couple each.
BJP leader and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane is contesting from Valpoi assembly constituency, while his wife Deviya has filed her nomination from Porim constituency on a BJP ticket. Interestingly, Porim seat is currently represented by his father-in-law Pratap Singh Rane on a Congress ticket. Congress has given ticket to Pratapsinh Rane from this assembly constituency.
Deviya Rane is contesting her first election.
The BJP has also given tickets to Atanasio Monserrate from Panaji assembly constituency and his wife Jennifer from Talegao seat.
While Jennifer Monserrate was elected on a Congress ticket from Talegao in the 2017 assembly elections, her husband won as a Congress candidate during the 2019 Panaji by-election, which was necessitated by the death of then chief minister Manohar Parrikar. happened.
The Monserrate couple had joined the ruling saffron party in 2019 along with eight other Congress MLAs.
Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar and his wife Savitri Kavlekar are also in the fray.
While she has been given a ticket by the BJP to contest from her traditional Quepem seat, Savitri was denied ticket by the party from Sangam assembly constituency. She then announced that she would contest from that constituency as an independent candidate. The couple had contested the 2017 election on a Congress ticket.
While Kavlekar had won the election and joined the BJP in 2019, his wife lost the election.
Congress has fielded Michael Lobo and his wife Delilah from Calangute and Siolim constituencies respectively. The former state minister had recently quit the BJP after the party did not give ticket to his wife.
Lobo had joined the Congress along with Delilah after leaving the BJP. She will contest her first assembly election.
Mamata BanerjeeTrinamool Congress has given ticket to Kiran Kandolkar from Aldona constituency, while his wife Kavita will contest from Thivim constituency as party candidate.
Kiran Kandolkar had recently resigned from the Goa Forward Party to join TMC.
Assembly elections in Goa will be held on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.