Political Pulse Of Goa Series: Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party
Goa’s longest surviving political party the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party is battling yet another election, this time in an alliance with the Trinamool Congress a new entrant.
The MGP which gave Goa its first chief minister has been reduced to a marginal player in Goa’s political scene ever since the rise of the BJP in 1994. Interestingly the BJP’s rise in Goa has been through riding piggyback on the MGP and through an alliance with the MGP.
Since then the party has only been winning between 3-4 seats each election making it a king maker with party leader Sudin Dhavalikar being a minister part of succive governments since 1999.
It was a role he was content playing until now. His ambition is much higher now and explains why he hasn’t agreed to an alliance with the BJP.
The MGP’s demand was that they will align with whoever game them 12 seats and the TMC was more than willing. They got 14 seats. More than they could fill. The MGP is likely to have another demand after the polls — support whoever agrees to make Dhavalikar the CM.
By Andrea Fernandes
