Goa polls: MGP to field candidate against CM Laxmikant Parsekar

The MGP president claimed that the alliance has already been finalised and announcement is just a formality.

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Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar. (File)

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which recently split with the ruling BJP in Goa, has decided to field a candidate against state Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar in Mandrem constituency. The party had recently withdrawn support to the BJP-led state government following differences with Parsekar.

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MGP president Dipak Dhavalikar said Mandrem had been a bastion of the party till a few years back, and exuded confidence it would regain its hold over the constituency. He said the MGP parliamentary committee would meet tomorrow to formally approve alliance with GSM and Shiv Sena.

“We will be fielding our candidate on MGP ticket against Parsekar to defeat him. We will get Mandrem constituency in seat-sharing as a part of alliance (likely to be announced tomorrow) with Goa Suraksha Manch and Shiv Sena,” Dhavalikar told reporters here today.

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“Only after the parliamentary committee meeting, the announcement about the alliance would be made,” he said.

The MGP president claimed that the alliance has already been finalised and announcement is just a formality. The MGP, GSM and Sena leaders will also meet later in the afternoon tomorrow to decide on seat-sharing.

They have already in-principle decided that MGP will contest on 22 seats, GSM on 8 and Sena on 5 seats.

Dhavalikar said that Independent legislator Naresh Sawal, who had resigned as MLA recently, would formally join the MGP tomorrow.