The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday announced lawyer and social worker Amit Palekar as its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Goa Assembly polls.

Palekar hails from the Other Backward Class Bhandari community, reported NDTV. The community accounts for about 35% Goa’s population.

Palekar had joined the Aam Aadmi Party in October.

He was lauded by national Convenor Arvind Kejriwal when he organised a hunger strike to protest against the illegal construction at an Old Goa heritage site, The Times of India reported. Palekar was subsequently projected as an election candidate. He will be contesting the Santa Cruz constituency.

Kejriwal said that the party has chosen a “honest man” known for his welfare work as the chief ministerial candidate.

“This person would take everyone along,” Kerjiwal said. “Such a person who is educated, will understand everything and no one will be able to make a fool of him.”

The party chief said that although the Bhandari community represent about 35% of the coastal state’s population, there has been only one chief minister from among them – Ravi Naik.

The elections to the 40 Assembly seats to Goa will be held in a single phase on February 14.

The Aam Aadmi Party will be contesting for all the 40 seats. Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena have also fielded candidates for the polls.

On Tuesday, the Aam Aadmi Party had announced Bhagwant Mann as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab Assembly elections.