PANAJI
In a statement which is bound to create ripples within the ruling BJP camp, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said that all sitting MLAs cannot be assured of tickets to contest the 2022 state assembly polls.
Sawant’s comment comes at a time when numerous sitting MLAs including Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte, Tivim MLA Nilkanth Halarnkar, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo have said that as a sitting MLA, they are likely to bag the Bharatiya Janata Party ticket for the upcoming polls.
“All parties do this. Each and everyone (sitting MLA) do not get tickets. That depends on the performance and MLAs connect with the people. I am not saying that everyone will get a ticket. That is not possible at all. Everyone knows this,” the Chief Minister told reporters.
“Surveys are carried out by the local state team, the central team and the final ticket is allotted by the Centre. BJP is a central party with a Parliamentary board. It decides on the ticket. When the time comes to allott a ticket, the Parliamentary board declares a ticket,” Sawant also said.
Nearly all sitting MLAs have been ‘interviewed’ by the party’s central leaders namely BJP national general secreatry CT Ravi, party president JP Nadda among others as part of the preparatory process for the 2022 state assembly polls.
The BJP currently has 27 MLAs in the 40-member state assembly, out of which 15 legislators joined the ruling dispensation from the Congress. Two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLAs also joined the BJP in 2019.
