MGP to withdraw support to Goa’s BJP-led coalition

Party has a sole member in the Assembly after BJP poached 2 of its 3 MLAs

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) on Friday decided to withdraw its support to Goa’s BJP-led coalition government after the regional partner found itself reduced to having a sole member in the State’s Assembly in the wake of the BJP poaching two of its three MLAs.

Party President Dipak Dhavlikar told

The Hindu that the Central Committee of the party had taken a decision to withdraw from the coalition government and that a formal letter would be submitted to Governor Mridula Sinha any time on Friday or Saturday.

Mr. Dhavlikar, who is contesting the bypoll in Shiroda Assembly constituency in North Goa, said that the party had already decided to support Congress candidates in both the State’s Lok Sabha seats — Francisco Sardinha in South Goa and Girish Chodankar in North Goa — and to back the Congress’s Sudhir Kandolkar in the Mapusa byelection.

“The party will decide on who to support against BJP in Mandrem constituency bypoll in next two days,” said Mr. Dhavlikar. “But surely we will support the strongest of the candidates, Congress or otherwise. We are going all out to defeat BJP candidates in the April 23 election to teach the party a lesson for splitting the MGP and sacking senior leader Sudin Dhavlikar unceremoniously from the coalition government,” he added.

Last month, two MLAs — Manohar Ajgaonkar and Dipak Pauskar — split the three-member MGP legislature party and merged their group with the BJP. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also immediately sacked Mr. Dhavlikar from his post as deputy Chief Minister and replaced him with Mr. Ajgaonkar, while inducting Mr. Pauskar as a Minister.

Once the MGP formally submits to the Governor its letter withdrawing support, the strength of the BJP-led coalition would decline to 20 in the 36-member truncated house of 40. The coalition includes 14 BJP MLAs, three members of the Goa Forward Party and three independents. In the Opposition, while Congress has 14 MLAs, the Nationalist Congress Party and MGP have a member each.