Tukaram Bharat "Manoj" Parab (born 18 August 1985) is an Indian politician, former

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

, and activist who serves as the party chief and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Revolutionary Goans Party The Revolutionary Goans Party ( RGP) is a regional party in the Indian state of Goa. First registered as a non-governmental organization when founded in March 2017, it received recognition as a political party from the Election Commission of ...

(RGP), a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

he founded in March 2017, which received recognition as a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

from the

Election Commission of India The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established by Constitution of India, the Constitution of the Republic of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in the Republic of India. It is headed by a Chief Ele ...

in 2022. Prior to forming the

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, Parab joined the

Aam Aadmi Party The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP, ) is a List of political parties in India, political party in India. It was founded on 26 November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions, following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement against then gover ...

as a member before the

2017 Goa Legislative Assembly election The 2017 Goa Legislative Assembly election was held on 4 February 2017 to elect the 40 members of the Seventh Goa Legislative Assembly, as the term of Sixth Legislative Assembly ended on 18 March 2017. VVPAT-fitted EVMs was used in entire Goa ...

. He subsequently left to form the Revolutionary Goans on 3 March 2017, along with seven founding members, including Viresh Borkar and Vishwesh Naik, whom he had met during his involvement with the Aam Aadmi Party.

Early life

Manoj Parab, originally named Tukaram Bharat Parab, was born on 18 August 1985 in the village of Pirna, Goa. His father was a

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

craftsman and repairer, as well as a businessman. Parab completed his early education at a

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

before pursuing further studies. In 2008, he completed his

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in

Geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

from

Goa University Goa University is a public state university headquartered in the city of Panaji, in the Indian state of Goa. The traditions of Goa University date back to the 17th century,Prôa, Miguel Pires. "Escolas Superiores" Portuguesas Antes de 1950 ...

. Following his graduation, Parab joined various local mining companies such as Timblo, Salgaocrs, and

Vedanta Resources Vedanta Resources Limited is a diversified mining company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest mining and non-ferrous metals company in India and has mining operations in Australia and Zambia and oil and gas operations in ...

. However, seeking improved remuneration, Parab decided to relocate away from Goa. Consequently, he found employment on offshore oil rigs located in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

Political career

2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election

On 14 January 2022, the

officially announced Parab as their designated candidate for the position of

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

in the

2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election : Legislative Assembly elections were held in Elections in Goa, Goa on 2022 elections in India, 14 February 2022 to elect List of constituencies of the Goa Legislative Assembly, 40 members of the Eighth Goa Legislative Assembly. The votes were c ...

. He contested the election from two constituencies, Valpoi and Tivim. While he had a significant vote share, Parab did not win in either constituency. Manoj Parab alongwith Reginaldo and Claude Alvares

Manoj Parab alongwith Reginaldo and Claude Alvares

Political analyst Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and law ...

Prakash Kamat expressed reservations about some of Parab's ideas, suggesting that they may not align with constitutional principles. For example, Kamat highlighted Parab's POGO Bill, which advocates granting exclusive rights to

Goans Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...

2022 Goa Village Panchayat election

In March 2022, subsequent to the Legislative Assembly election, Parab declared the party's intention to participate in the forthcoming Goa village panchayat election, scheduled for August of the same year. Among the 186 panchayats in

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

, Parab's party, the RGP, won in only the Azossim-Mandur panchayat within the St. Andre constituency.

2022 Goa Zilla Panchayat election

On 3 October 2022, Parab held a press conference to announce the candidates his party was nominating for the upcoming

by-elections A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in three

Zilla Panchayat The Zila Panchayat or District Development Council or Zilla Parishad or District Panchayat or is the third tier of the Panchayati Raj system and functions at the district levels in all states. A Zila Parishad is an elected body representing the ...

constituencies. However, Parab's party was defeated in all three constituencies in which they fielded candidates.

Meet with regional parties leaders

In October 2022, Parab made an announcement regarding the party's approach to engaging with leaders from regional parties across the country. During a press conference in

Panaji Panaji (; , , )also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river est ...

, Parab emphasized the RGP's commitment to its ideology and expressed its intention to reintroduce the POGO Bill in the state legislative assembly. Parab also held meetings with

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

Chief Minister

Eknath Shinde Eknath Sambhaji Shinde (born 9 February 1964) is an Indian politician who has served as the List of deputy chief ministers of Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra since December 2024, alongside Ajit Pawar under Devendra Fadnavis. ...

and

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (translation: Maharashtra Reformation Army; MNS) is a Regionalist Indian organisation based in the state of Maharashtra and operates on the ideology of Hindutva and Marathi Manus. It was founded on 9 March 2006 ...

(MNS) president Raj Thackeray in

. Parab clarified that the RGP maintains its independence from any specific political party and positioned itself as the principal opposition to the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...

(BJP) in the upcoming 2027 Goa assembly polls. He further emphasized that the contest would primarily involve the RGP and the BJP. Parab remarked that the Revolutionary Goans Party has developed its own distinctive revolutionary model, differentiating itself from the approach of the

Shiv Sena Shiv Sena (1966–2022) (; ; SS) was a right-wing Marathi regionalist Hindutva-based political party in India founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, who was later succeeded by Uddhav Thackeray. The party is split into two parties: the Uddha ...

(SHS).

Personal life

In a 2022 interview with ''

Outlook Outlook or The Outlook may refer to: Computing * Microsoft Outlook, also referred to as ''the classic Outlook'' an e-mail client and personal information management software product from Microsoft * Outlook for Windows, also referred to as ''the ...

'', Parab recounted his personal experience, highlighting the challenges faced by many

when it comes to property ownership. Parab is married to a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parab, Manoj Living people 1985 births Goan people Goa politicians Activists from Goa Indian activists Indian civil rights activists Indian human rights activists 21st-century Indian politicians Indian anti-corruption activists People from North Goa district Former members of Aam Aadmi Party