BJP picks Sadanand Shet Tanavade for Rajya Sabha election from Goa

Panaji: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to field its Goa unit president Sadanand Shet Tanavade for the election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the coastal state, a senior party functionary said on Tuesday.

BJP's Vinay Tendulkar is currently member of the Upper House of Parliament from Goa and his term his expiring this month-end.

The Rajya Sabha election would be held on July 24.

The BJP and its allies have 33 MLAs in the 40-member Goa Assembly. The opposition Congress has three MLAs, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has two members, and the Goa Forward Party and the Revolutionary Goans Party have one legislator each.

Meanwhile, AAP's Goa president Amit Palekar on Tuesday said his party will not field its candidate for the Rajya Sabha poll as it does not have the required numbers and it will also not participate in the election process.

“We don't want to waste the precious time of the Assembly. We don't appreciate that. We will contest the Rajya Sabha election whenever we have numbers in the Goa Assembly,” Palekar told reporters.

Asked about supporting the Congress candidate, Palekar said the party is yet to announce its candidate for the election.