Congress, AAP candidates file papers for Panaji bypoll

PANAJI: Congress candidate Atanasio Monserrate and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Valmiki Naik filed their nominations for the upcoming Panaji bypoll on Friday.

Former Goa Education Minister Monserrate is accused of raping a minor girl, while Naik is a city-based businessman.

Monserrate told reporters that he would be focusing on a youth-centric programmes in his campaign. "The youth are our future. My focus will be on how to generate employment for them," he said.

Monserrate, who was a Cabinet Minister in a BJP-led coalition government, has also been a member of three other political parties, including the Congress.

He was sacked by the Congress for anti-party activities in 2015. He was also chargesheeted in 2018 for allegedly raping a minor girl.

Naik, who lost the 2015 Panaji bypoll, said that he would focus on working towards creating better civic amenities in the city.