Swami from Solapur wants to carry on Parrikar's legacy

PANAJI: He renounced the world at the age of 18 to represent God, but at 32, Deepak Katakadhond or Shrivenkateshwar Maha Swamiji as he is now known as, wants to represent the hoi polloi of Panaji , a place where the man of God has never lived.


With a total of Rs 9 to his name, the Swami plans to take on the legacy of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar , whose death earlier on March 17 necessitated the need for a bypoll in the state capital.

The ascetic claims to be familiar with Parrikar’s track record as defence minister and Panaji MLA, but says that Parrikar left many things “incomplete” in the city and in the state.

“Parrikarji was a good man, but he left things incomplete. As the MLA of Panaji, I will complete those works,” said Katakadhond, who speaks Marathi, Kannada and a bit of Hindi.

The Panaji assembly bypoll is scheduled for May 19.

In a telephonic conversation with TOI, Katakadhond admitted that he had never lived in Panaji, leave alone Goa, but said that he had visited Goa “two or three times” to give spiritual talks.

“I’ll come to Goa on May 5 to start my door-to-door campaign,” said Katakadhond from his base in Solapur .

When it was pointed out that Parrikar’s son Utpal was likely to contest in Panaji on the BJP ticket, Katakadhond said, “Politics is a service, not for family development.”

Despite his claimed modest means, the godman is contesting assembly elections not just in Panaji, but also in Chincholi constituency in Karnataka. He represents Hindustan Janta Party and is also a candidate in the Solapur and Bijapur Lok Sabha constituencies.

In response to TOI’s query on WhatsApp, the swami sought a donation in the name of his trust, Balaji Trust. “Donations income tax exempt,” the message said.

Interestingly, the swami says that social service is the reason for entering the political fray. “Politicians are taking people’s money and making their own development,” Katakadhond said.

So will the swami end BJP’s vice grip on the state capital? For now the voting statistics indicate otherwise but then again, the swami is a proponent of numerology so maybe he has some tricks up his saffron sleeves.