Congress bypoll candidate pleaded with us for ticket: Goa BJP

Panaji, May 5 (IANS) The Congress candidate for the May 19 Panaji bypoll, Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, had first come to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office pleading for a ticket, days after the by-election was announced, state BJP President Vinay Tendulkar said on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference at the state BJP headquarters here, Tendulkar also called Monserrate's electoral pledge to install a Congress-led coalition government in Goa as soon as the results of the Lok Sabha elections are declared on May 23 a hoax.

"Before filing his nomination for the Congress, why did he (Monserrate) come to the BJP office seeking a ticket for this by-election? He had felt at that time that Congress was a scrap party, but Babush later went back to the Congress," Tendulkar said, admitting to have met Monserrate.

Monserrate, who was chargsheeted last year for the alleged rape of a minor girl, has had a chequered political career, having switched nearly a dozen political parties, including the Congress and the BJP. He also served as a Minister in the BJP-led state government helmed by former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar.

Until two months back, Monserrate was an office bearer of Goa Forward Party, a regional outfit which is a part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in the state. But he quit the party soon after the death of Parrikar and the subsequent announcement of the Panaji bypoll.

Tendulkar also expressed confidence that the BJP would win the four Assembly bypolls (three were held on April 23) and the two Lok Sabha seats in the state, taking BJP's tally in the state legislature to 18 MLAs.

"When the results are announced on May 23, it will be 6-0 in BJP's favour. The tally of BJP MLAs will be 18, plus the six alliance MLAs. We will have a majority of 24 MLAs. No one should day dream that the BJP government in the state will fall," Tendulkar said.