Less than a month before he celebrates his 59th birthday on December 13, Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar has risen to his political zenith yet, by supposedly being handpicked to be Union defence minister.
Clearly , Parrikar's star is in the ascendant. He single-handedly led BJP to a clear win in Goa with 21 seats out of 40 in March 2012 assembly elections, and then secured both Lok Sabha seats for the party in May 2014 Lok Sabha polls. PM Narendra Modigiving him the defence portfolio should be Parrikar's proudest political feat yet. Parrikar has come a long way since he won his first assembly election from Panaji in 1994. Since then, he has consecutively won from Panaji another four times -a feat never achieved in the constituency before.
Often described as India's first IITian CM, Parrikar engineered his way into the Goa CM's chair first in 2000. His party toppled the Francisco Sardinha-led government by withdrawing support. But midway in his term, on February 27, 2002, he dissolved the assembly amid reports that a disparate band of party MLAs was plotting against him. His gamble paid off in the election in June 2002. BJP became the single largest party and formed the government with support from smaller parties and an independent.
Instability rocked his government again on January 29, 2005, as five BJP MLAs resigned, reducing his government to a minority .The assembly session in February , called to prove his majority, turned tumultuous with the forced eviction of deputy CM Felipe Neri Rodrigues from the House. Following an observer's report, governor S C Jamir dismissed Parrikar's government.
Congress won power in the bypoll that followed. In the 2007 assembly elections, Congress retained power defeating BJP.
Parrikar's comeback in March 2012 was spectacular.Just before the elections, he launched a personal mass contact programme through the Jan Sampark Yatra, travelling all over Goa and staying overnight at people's homes.He also unleashed a media blitzkrieg against Congress.
As chairman of the public accounts committee, his report detailed massive illegalities in Goa's mining and claimed huge losses to the exchequer. He promised solutions -with target dates -to all long-festering problems in Goa: mining, regional plan, medium of instruction, casinos and Lokayukta. The result -BJP won 21 out of 40 seats on its own. Alliance partners MGP and GVP won three and two seats, respectively . Plus, there were two supporting independents.
Post-election, he fulfilled the promise of eliminating VAT on petrol. It effectively reduced petrol price in Goa by Rs 11 and won him national acclaim. But with many promises remaining unfulfilled, Congress and local media dubbed him a 'U-turn CM'.
Parrikar's political acumen has been sharp. In June 2013, he became the first senior BJP functionary to openly push for Modi as BJP's "face" for the 2014 LS polls. During BJP's two-day national executive in Goa, Parrikar said people strongly favoured such a move.
When Modi became PM, Goa was the first state he visited in his official capacity.
From IIT-B to South Block: The rise of Manohar Parrikar's stock - The Economic Times
Clearly , Parrikar's star is in the ascendant. He single-handedly led BJP to a clear win in Goa with 21 seats out of 40 in March 2012 assembly elections, and then secured both Lok Sabha seats for the party in May 2014 Lok Sabha polls. PM Narendra Modigiving him the defence portfolio should be Parrikar's proudest political feat yet. Parrikar has come a long way since he won his first assembly election from Panaji in 1994. Since then, he has consecutively won from Panaji another four times -a feat never achieved in the constituency before.
Often described as India's first IITian CM, Parrikar engineered his way into the Goa CM's chair first in 2000. His party toppled the Francisco Sardinha-led government by withdrawing support. But midway in his term, on February 27, 2002, he dissolved the assembly amid reports that a disparate band of party MLAs was plotting against him. His gamble paid off in the election in June 2002. BJP became the single largest party and formed the government with support from smaller parties and an independent.
Instability rocked his government again on January 29, 2005, as five BJP MLAs resigned, reducing his government to a minority .The assembly session in February , called to prove his majority, turned tumultuous with the forced eviction of deputy CM Felipe Neri Rodrigues from the House. Following an observer's report, governor S C Jamir dismissed Parrikar's government.
Congress won power in the bypoll that followed. In the 2007 assembly elections, Congress retained power defeating BJP.
Parrikar's comeback in March 2012 was spectacular.Just before the elections, he launched a personal mass contact programme through the Jan Sampark Yatra, travelling all over Goa and staying overnight at people's homes.He also unleashed a media blitzkrieg against Congress.
As chairman of the public accounts committee, his report detailed massive illegalities in Goa's mining and claimed huge losses to the exchequer. He promised solutions -with target dates -to all long-festering problems in Goa: mining, regional plan, medium of instruction, casinos and Lokayukta. The result -BJP won 21 out of 40 seats on its own. Alliance partners MGP and GVP won three and two seats, respectively . Plus, there were two supporting independents.
Post-election, he fulfilled the promise of eliminating VAT on petrol. It effectively reduced petrol price in Goa by Rs 11 and won him national acclaim. But with many promises remaining unfulfilled, Congress and local media dubbed him a 'U-turn CM'.
Parrikar's political acumen has been sharp. In June 2013, he became the first senior BJP functionary to openly push for Modi as BJP's "face" for the 2014 LS polls. During BJP's two-day national executive in Goa, Parrikar said people strongly favoured such a move.
When Modi became PM, Goa was the first state he visited in his official capacity.
From IIT-B to South Block: The rise of Manohar Parrikar's stock - The Economic Times
