The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) snapped its alliance with the ruling BJP in Goa on Thursday, a day after the announcement of State Assembly elections.
After a meeting of its Central Committee, MGP’s State President Deepak Dhavalikar announced that his party would contest 22 assembly seats and would soon formalise an alliance with Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM), a political outfit helmed by rebel Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Subhash Velingkar.
Shiv Sena is another party that will join the MGP-GSM alliance.
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“We already have an in-principle understanding with Goa Suraksha Manch. It will be formalised soon after they get their election symbol,” Mr. Dhavalikar said in his letter to Goa governor Mridula Sinha, announcing the snapping of the ties. A copy the letter was also submitted to Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Anant Shet.
Mr. Dhavalikar also declared that his brother and former Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar would be the MGP’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming polls.
He said that while MGP had won three seats in the 2012 Assembly polls, the 21 seats won by BJP was a result of its alliance with the party.
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“We continued our co-operation in spite of differences on various issues, which recently led to the ouster of MGP MLAs from the Cabinet,” Mr. Dhavalikar said.
Two MGP Ministers, Mr. Dhavalikar and Mr. Sudin Dhavalikar, were sacked by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar from the State Cabinet last month, following their public criticism of his leadership. The step signalled the end of the alliance.