VASCO
Former BJP Cortalim Mandal General Secretary Achut Naik resigned from the party on Monday and filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the upcoming Zilla Panchayat elections from Sancoale constituency.
His move has stirred political discussion in the area, particularly because Naik has been known as a long-time BJP loyalist with decades of grassroots involvement.
Naik arrived at the nomination centre accompanied by a group of supporters, many of whom were former BJP workers and locals from Sancoale.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Naik said he was disappointed after being denied the BJP ticket, which he had sought as a long-serving karyakarta. “I had tried for the BJP ticket, but they did not give it to me and instead chose a defector who has changed parties multiple times,” he said.
He added that several people urged him to contest independently.
“These people have seen me with the BJP for the last 34 years, and they unitedly extended their support to me,” he said, adding that he has resigned from the party to contest independently.
