Panaji, April 26 (IANS) 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.