PARRIKAR’S JOURNEY

Date of birth: December 13, 1955 Born in Parra village in North Goa

1981

Parrikar, who completed his Bachelor of Technology (Metallurgy) from IIT Bombay, becomes RSS sanghchalak. He was a member of the RSS since his

school days

1991

Contests first election as a BJP candidate from the North Goa Lok Sabha seat. Loses to Congress’s Harish Zantye

1994

Contests and win the Panaji assembly constituency. The BJP opens its account in Goa by winning four of the 40 seats

1996

Contests the North Goa Lok Sabha seat for the second time. Loses to the MGP’s Ramakant Khalap, who goes on to become Union law minister

1999

July Leads the BJP’s campaign in the 1999 assembly elections. The party wins 10 seats

November Dislodges then Congress chief minister Luizinho Faleiro. Supports Congress rebel Francisco Sardinha for the top post and forms a coalition government with the MLAs who defected with Sardinha

2000

October

Becomes the chief minister for the first time

2001

May Loses wife Medha to cancer. The couple has two sons, Utpal and Abhijat

2002

February Parrikar dissolves Goa assembly. Governor accepts his proposal and calls for fresh elections

June Parrikar re-elected Goa chief minister with 17 BJP MLAs. The Maharashtra Gomantak Party and the United Goans Democratic Party support him

2005

February

With NDA govt losing Lok Sabha elections the year before, Parrikar’s coalition government is reduced to a minority after coalition partners withdraw support. Parrikar loses trust vote, and Congress’s Pratapsingh Rane becomes CM

2007

June The BJP loses assembly elections. Digambar Kamat, now with the Congress, sworn in as CM. Parrikar becomes leader of Opposition

2012

March Parrikar elected Goa CM with the BJP getting simple majority for the first time

2014

November Parrikar sworn in as Union defence minister; becomes a Rajya Sabha MP from Lucknow

2016

September Oversees surgical strikes to destroy militant bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

2018

February

Hospitalised with what was initially believed to be food poisoning. Later his office reveals Parrikar is suffering from mild pancreatitis

2017

March Resigns as the defence minister and sworn in as the Goa CM to lead a coalition government