Union minister Shripad Naik to be BJP candidate from North Goa for 6th time in a row

Panaji, Union Minister Shripad Naik will contest from North Goa Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket for the sixth time in a row. Naik, who is Union Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has been MP since 1999 from the seat, formerly called Panaji Lok Sabha between 1971 and 2004.

In the 2019 polls, he defeated the Congress' Girish Chodankar after garnering 57.07 per cent of the votes polled. Naik's name was announced in the first list of candidates announced by the BJP at a press conference in New Delhi in the evening.

"I am thankful for the party that they have given me a chance to contest for the sixth time from this constituency. I am specially thankful to CM Dr Pramod Sawant and BJP Goa president Sadanand Shet Tanavade," the 71-year-old leader told PTI. It was the demand of the voters of North Goa that he be given a ticket and the Bharatiya Janata Party has accepted it, Naik claimed. Naik has earlier been minister of AYUSH (independent charge) as well as Union minister of state for defence in the Narendra Modi government.