PANAJI: The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) on Thursday formally announced former minister Ramakrishna alias Sudin Dhavalikar as its chief ministerial candidate for the Goa assembly election to be held on February 4.
The MGP has in-principle agreed to form an alliance with Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) and tentatively decided to contest 25 seats.
The party has withdrawn its support to the BJP-led coalition government in protest against the indifferent attitude of BJP towards its leaders. MGP president Pandurang alias Deepak Dhavalikar said the decision has been taken as per a resolution passed by the party’s highest decision making body, the central committee.
“The party has in-principle decided to have a pre-poll alliance with Goa Suraksha Manch, which will be formally announced by Tuesday, and the meet for seat allotment with GSM will be held on Sunday,” he said, informing that MGP has tentatively decided to contest 25 seats including Bicholim.
Deepak said ex-MLA from Bicholim Naresh Sawal, Jagdish Bhobe from St Andre, Vijay Gaonkar from Valpoi and a few others will join MGP on January 8.
The MGP chief said that the party has formed a committee headed by Sudin to scrutinise the candidates. “We have received 18 applications to contest on MGP ticket and by the next two days, they will be scrutinised. Announcement will be made by January 11,” he said.
When asked to respond to the Aam Aadmi Party’s allegation that other parties do not have leaders to lead them into the assembly election, Deepak said, “We had already projected Sudin as the chief ministerial candidate” and expressed confidence of winning maximum number of seats.
Alleging that the BJP instigated them to break ties, Deepak said that since the past one and half years, differences with BJP have been rising due to neglect of MGP constituencies, blocking of files and payments and banning recruitment. “However, we made several attempts to communicate, but the BJP leaders neglected us,” he said adding that it was differences that led to the breaking of ties with BJP.
The MGP party, the oldest regional outfit in the state, has forwarded letters conveying its decision on withdrawal of support to the government to Governor Mridula Sinha and Speaker Anant Shet.