Lobbying through media cannot guarantee poll ticket: BJP Goa chief

Panaji, June 24 (IANS) Amid a clamour of claims by ruling and former BJP legislators publicly staking claims for seats in the upcoming Goa Assembly polls, state BJP President Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Wednesday said that making such statements in the media cannot assure anyone a poll ticket."Elections are not even declared yet and are more than seven months away and so people should not go to the press and talk about themselves but work for the party in their constituencies," Tanavade told reporters here."No one will get a ticket by speaking to the press. Our process is there." Tanavade's statement comes on the heels of claims made by several sitting as well as ex-BJP MLAs, including former Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, and MLA Michael Lobo, who have made statements related to contesting the 2022 polls.He said that there was more than one claimant for a ticket in most Assembly constituencies, but added that the process for finalisation of a ticket was an elaborate one."As the elections draw near, we will form an election committee which will meet and discuss with the block level and shortlist names in some constituencies. There are two, three, four names (candidates) and in some there are only one," he said."The names are then sent to the state election committee and the shortlist is sent to the party's central parliamentary board and the board takes the decision and finalises the names. No one can on his own declare himself a candidate," Tanavade said, adding that even sitting MLAs and the Chief Minister himself has to undergo the process.
--IANS maya/vd