Goa BJP chief Tendulkar party nominee for Rajya Sabha poll

The BJP's Goa unit president Vinay Tendulkar is the party candidate from the coastal state for upcoming Rajya Sabha poll.
The election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat, currently represented by the Congress' Shantaram Naik, will be held on July 21. The last date for filing of the nomination is July 11.
"Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar selected me after holding dialogues with the coalition partners. The CM was given all rights to finalise the candidate for the Rajya Sabha poll," Tendulkar told PTI today.
A former Forest Minister, Tendulkar said the BJP's allies were taken into confidence before finalising his name.

The Manohar Parrikar-led government is being supported by the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP), each having three MLAs, besides three Independents.
In the 40-member House, the current strength of which stood 38 following the resignations of a BJP MLA and a Congress MLA, the BJP has 12 members, the Congress 16, the MGP (3), the GFP (3), the NCP 1, besides the three Independent legislators.
Besides the party legislators, the BJP leader is expected to get support of the MLAs of the MGP, the GFP and the Independents. A lone MLA of the NCP, Churchil Alemao, is yet to clarify his stand.

The Congress is yet to announce its nominee for the poll.