The issue here is about seat sharing and Dhavalikar’s outburst is a clear indication that these talks are not going the MGP way
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Laxmikant Parsekar has been the chief minister of the State for over two years, and for this period the MGP ministers “ Sudin and Deepak Dhavalikar, got along with him. There was no opposition to his swearing in or his continuance in the post. Now, all of a sudden the MGP has demanded his ouster. What has Parsekar done to anger the MGP? Actually, nothing. Deepak Dhavalikar told the media that the 2012 alliance was forged with Manohar Parrikar as chief minister, not Parsekar. Did it take Dhavalikar two years to realise that Goa has a new chief minister?
Even though Dhavalikar has stated that the MGP would not like to go to the polls with Parsekar as the leader, this is not about Parsekar. By making an impossible demand, the MGP is probably clearing the way for its exit from the government to focus on the more important task “ the 2017 polls. The issue here is about seat sharing and Dhavalikar’s outburst is a clear indication that these talks are not going the MGP way.
There are several flashpoints. Of these, the constituencies of Dabolim and Bicholim occupy centrestage. While the BJP has claimed these constituencies as their own, so has the MGP. So far no one has blinked. In order to grow, the MGP reached out to Pandurang Madkaikar who represents Cumbarjua and Quepem MLA, Babu Kavelekar. The BJP move swiftly and took Madkaikar into its fold while Kavelekar got cold feet. The BJP has been checkmating the MGP almost everywhere, leaving it with few avenues to grow and this has naturally angered the junior alliance partner.
One might recall that the BJP came to power riding piggyback on the MGP. It eventually led to the near annihilation of the MGP with Sudin Dhavalikar as the lone horseman. The BJP does not want the reverse to happen. The alliance worked as long as the MGP accepted a minor role and stayed put in Ponda with three constituencies. One advantage that the MGP has is that it can switch sides and the BJP is worried that should it win a sufficiently large number of seats, senior Dhavalikar might be emboldened to take the support of the Congress to become chief minister. So the issue here is not about Parsekar; it’s about senior Dhavalikar’s ambition to grab the chief minister’s chair. With the Congress in disarray (padhyatra notwithstanding), a fractured opposition and the rise of the Goa Suraksha Manch which is opposed to the BJP, the MGP sees 2017 as the only chance to make a dash for the top post. It’s now or never for Sudin Dhavalikar. At the same time if the BJP lets go of the MGP then there is a chance that it will get damaged in a few constituencies. Being together favours both political parties provided personal ambitions are kept in check. However, by sounding the bugle of revolt, the Dhavalikars has set the stage for some hard bargaining which could make or break the alliance.
