Who is Amit Palekar? AAP’s CM Face To Challenge BJP in Goa

Palekar, who joined the AAP in October 2021, was introduced by Kejriwal as an ‘honest man’ worthy of the CM chair.

Written by: India.com News Desk Edited by: Analiza Pathak

Updated: January 19, 2022, 2:59 PM IST

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Who is Amit Palekar? AAP's CM Face in Goa

Panaji: Aam Aadmi Party national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday declared Amit Palekar as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Goa Assembly elections.  I am guaranteeing you a corruption-free Goa. We will get back Goa’s lost glory, a Goa everyone dreamt of. I will keep every word that I have said and that is my guaranty,” Palekar said on Wednesday. AAP, which had failed to win a single seat in the 2017 elections, is now set to contest in all the 40 Assembly seats in the coastal state with Palekar as its face.

Who is Amit Palekar

Amit Palekar is a lawyer and social worker, who has now been declared as the CM candidate for AAP. Palekar, who belongs to the OBC Bhandari community of Goa has been a familiar face among the people of Goa due to his continued protests. The lawyer turned politician was recently in news for holding a hunger strike against the illegal construction at an Old heritage site in the coastal state.

Palekar, who joined the AAP in October 2021, was introduced by Kejriwal as an ‘honest man’ worthy of the CM chair. Kejriwal, while making the announcement at a press briefing in Panaji also said that the party had chosen Palekar, as he was well known for his welfare work in the community.

Moreover, the Bhandari community account for about 35 per cent of Goa’s population, which also comes in handy for AAP. The party has been running a strong election campaign in the poll-bound state so far and is looking to dethrone the ruling BJP.

2022 Goa Elections

Goa elections will be conducted in only one phase, which will fall on February 14. Counting of votes will be held on March 10. Notably, while the BJP is the ruling party in Goa, in opposition are Goa Forward Party, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Congress, and debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as well as the Trinamool Congress.

• Date of Notification – 21 January 2022
• Last Date of Making Nomination – 28 January 2022
• Completion of Scrutiny of Nomination – 29 January 2022
• Withdrawal of Candidature- 31 January 2022
• Date of Polling – 14 February 2022
• Result date- 10 March 2022