Who is Amit Palekar? AAP’s Chief Ministerial candidate for Goa

Amit Palekar has been picked by the Aam Aadmi Party as its candidate for the Chief Minister’s position in the upcoming Goa assembly elections. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal formally made the announcement on Wednesday.

A member of the Bhandari community in Goa, Palekar was formerly a lawyer. He met Kejriwal in Goa in a hunger strike initiated by ‘The Save Old Goa Action Committee’. He was later presented as a candidate for the assembly elections by Kejriwal.

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Palekar, whose age is unclear, will be contesting the elections from the Santa Cruz constituency. Aam Aadmi Party’s chief Arvind Kejriwal has also reportedly accompanied Palerkar in a door-to-door electoral campaign in the St. Andre constituency. 

Amit Palekar’s nomination as Aam Aadmi Party’s Chief Ministerial face came after Arvind Kejriwal vowed to pick a candidate from the Bhandari Community, which reportedly makes up 35% of the state’s population.

“So far, the Bhandari community is a part of a large society in Goa. In 60 years, CM was made from this society only once for two and a half years. That’s why we thought about it,” the Delhi Chief Minister said in a statement.

Media reports suggest that Palekar made a contribution to Goa’s healthcare resources during the second wave of the COVID-19. He reportedly donated 135 beds to local hospitals and also assisted migrant workers.

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“The Bhandari samaj is a significant part of Goa’s community but they are deeply hurt. They are the biggest section of society but in the last 60 years, only one person has been the chief minister from this community”, Kejriwal said while announcing the party’s decision.

For the 40 seats in Goa, the Aam Aadmi Party has announced candidates for 30 of them so far. The Goa assembly polls are scheduled to begin on February 14 and will be held in a single phase. Election results are expected on March 10, 2022.