By PTI
PANAJI: Two couples — the Ranes and Monserrattes — made it to the first list of candidates announced by the BJP for the Goa Assembly elections on Thursday.
Deputy chief minister Chandrakant Kavlekar’s wife Savitri, also a ticket aspirant, did not figure in the list and later announced that she would contest as an independent.
The ruling party announced candidates for 34 out of 40 seats for the February 14 elections in the coastal state.
Atanasio Monserratte and Jeniffer Monserratte, both BJP MLAs at present, have been given tickets.
The other `power couple’ is health minister Vishwajit Rane and his wife Divya.
Divya Rane is new entrant in politics.
Atanasio Monserratte, who won Panaji byelection on Congress ticket in 2019 following the death of then chief minister Manohar Parrikar, joined the BJP in the same year.
Along with him, nine other Congress MLAs including Monserratte’s wife Jeniffer, who represented Taleigao seat, crossed over to the saffron party.
The couple will contest the coming election from their existing seats.
Panaji and Taleigao are neighbouring constituencies in North Goa district.
Vishwajit Rane who represents Valpoi seat also figures in the list along with his wife Divya who has been nominated from Poriem Assembly segment.
Incidentally, Poriem is currently represented by Divya’s father-in-law Pratapsingh Rane, a veteran Congressman and the longest serving politician in the state.
He has not yet made it clear if he would contest this time.
The Kavlekars, on the other hand, faced disappointment.
Deputy chief minister Chandrakant Kavlekar was nominated from Quepem constituency, but his wife Savitri who was seeking ticket from Sanguem did not make the cut.
On Thursday, Savitri resigned from the party and announced that she would contest as independent from Sanguem.
