3 min readPanajiMar 13, 2026 10:05 PM IST
The panel led by Revenue Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Panaji MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate recorded a thumping victory in the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) elections Friday, winning 27 out of 30 wards in the civic body.
The panel led by Monserrate, whose son Rohit was the incumbent CCP Mayor, was pitted against the ‘Ami Panjekar’ panel, launched by Utpal Parrikar – son of former Goa chief minister and BJP leader Manohar Parrikar. The ‘Ami Panjekar’ panel, which had the backing of opposition parties including Congress and AAP, got three seats. A total of 69 candidates contested across 30 wards in the polls, which saw a turnout of over 69 percent on Wednesday. Though elections are not fought on party lines, the contest was mainly between the two panels supported by rival political parties.
‘Babush’ Monserrate told media persons: “I am thankful to the BJP for giving me the opportunity to lead the panel. I am thankful to the chief minister and our party president for having faith in me. It is the people who are supreme and the people have shown it. I clearly told the candidates that this will set the narrative for the assembly polls [in 2027]. All the parties came together to defeat the BJP, but the BJP is so strong that the coming together of these forces could not defeat the BJP”.
He added: “I am a little disappointed that we lost three seats. I was sure that we would win all 30 seats”.
Rohit Monserrate was re-elected with a margin of 273 votes. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant congratulated the party-backed panel candidates on their ‘resounding victory’. Sawant said the people of Panaji have once again rejected “the politics of obstruction and negativity”.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Panaji for giving a resounding mandate to the BJP-led panel in the CCP polls and for once again reaffirming your trust in our commitment to serve the city and continue the momentum of all-round development. This mandate reflects the faith of the people in our vision for a progressive, clean and well governed Panaji and strengthens our resolve to work with even greater dedication for the welfare of every citizen,” Sawant said.
The chief minister said the victory reflects people’s trust in the party, adding that the results are only a ‘trailer’ and that the BJP will win 30 seats in the assembly polls next year.
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At a press conference in the evening, Utpal Parrikar said, “We were expecting to win at least ten seats. We accept the people’s mandate. We will analyse the ward-wise results. Many candidates lost by a small margin. In around 10 wards, the loss margin is within 100 votes and for four candidates, the margin of loss is within 50 votes. Everything was stacked against us. We will continue to engage with citizens, raise issues that matter and work constructively to address the challenges our city faces”.
