Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that like-minded parties should come to one platform indicating that tie-up with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), a traditional ally of the BJP, may be under consideration. “The kind of anarchy we are seeing in Goan politics for the first time, it would need like-minded parties to come to one forum. They (MGP) were with us earlier too,” Sawant said. Senior MGP leader and the party’s lone MLA in the 40-member Goa legislative assembly Ramkrishna alias Sudin Dhavalikar said on Monday, “We have already said that any party that is willing to give is 12 seats to contest we will consider. We are prepared to contest 12 seats and work is on in a 13th constituency. Ultimately, it is the executive committee of the MGP that will take the decision,” Dhavalikar said. During her visit to Goa last week, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee had also had a meeting with MGP leaders which Dhavalikar said was a courtesy meeting. “Where is the question of an alliance with them (TMC). They have already said that they are readying candidates in all 40 constituencies,” Dhavalikar said on Monday. While union minister for road transport and railways Nitin Gadkari is also in Goa, BJP Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis is expected to arrive in the state on Tuesday. Dhavalikar may meet with the senior BJP leader on Tuesday, sources said. Along with ten Congress MLAs who defected to the BJP in 2019, there were two from MGP as well. One of the defectors from MGP was deputy chief minister Manohar Ajgaonkar. Dhavalikar, who was then deputy chief minister, was dropped from the Pramod Sawant cabinet in 2019 after the BJP secured a full majority following the 12 defections.
