Headlines
Panaji by-poll: Another IITian challenges Parrikar's bastion
Panaji, Jan 29
The Goan capital seems to have become an electoral hunting ground for IIT-Bombay alumni.
After
former chief minister and IIT alumnus Manohar Parrikar, a five-time MLA
from Panaji, gave up the seat after his elevation to the union cabinet
last November, another graduate from the same Indian Institute of
Technology, Samir Kelekar, has now thrown his hat in the ring.
Kelekar,
five years Parrikar's junior at the elite technology institute located
at Powai, in Mumbai, however has an uphill task against him in the
Panaji byelection, where he is contesting as an independent against
sitting mayor Surendra Furtado of the Congress and the BJP's Sidarth
Kunkolienker, who until recently was Parrikar's political aide.
"It's
not going to be a cakewalk, but it's an electorate of just 30,000. It's
a small constituency and we have volunteers. It is doable," Kelekar
told IANS shortly before filing his nomination earlier this week.
Kelekar's
optimism stems not just from the small collective of civil society
activists who have thrown their weight behind the Information Technology
(IT) consultant but also from a trail of let-downs and failed promises
which his IIT-B senior has left in his wake before taking up the defence
ministry brief.
"It is a bit surprising and disappointing that
an IITian would not want to keep his promises. Much more was expected
from an IITian like Parrikar and it is quite disappointing, but I will
keep my promises," Kelekar said.
Asked why the people should
believe in yet another IITian's word, especially when his predecessor
was dubbed by the opposition and civil society as a U-turn specialist,
Kelekar said: "IIT is just one part of my pitch. For most people, IIT is
the be all and end all. Before I went to IIT, I had a huge level of
social consciousness and as a professional I have the proven experience
of getting things done."
Kelekar, after his BTech, studied at the
Ivy league Columbia University. After moving to Bangalore in 1995, he
worked at tech companies like Motorola and Alcatel.
Kelekar was
also in the forefront of a freedom of speech campaign last year after
police threatened to arrest a Facebooker for making inflammatory
comments on the social networking site against Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and then chief minister Parrikar.
Part of his poll campaign
promise, he says, is to create a conducive environment for start-ups and
make Panaji a Wi-Fi city, apart from promising to tackle other issues
like garbage, traffic snarls and the like.
"Not much has happened
in Panaji over the last two decades under Parrikar as MLA and chief
minister. It's time that changed," Kelekar said.
Polling for the Panaji by-election will be held on Feb 13.
(Mayabhushan Nagvenkar can be contacted at [email protected])