Politics, they say, makes strange bedfellows.
In Goa, it is a truism that at least two of politicians are playing out in power-packed Ponda taluka, where all four of its MLAs have found place in the Pramod Sawant cabinet.
That Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik and Power Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavlikar aren't fond of each other would be an understatement. So, when the two were seen cheek by jowl at an inaugural event and the latter even publicly 'thanked' the former, it did raise many an eyebrow.
The rivalry of the duo dates back to 1994, when Ravi tasted defeat at the hands of current Union Minister Shripad Naik in Madkai. The Dhavlikar family is said to have played a pivotal role in that 'giant-killer' performance by Shripad bhau.
Five years later, Sudin, himself, defeated Shripad bhau, but his rivalry with Ravi continued through the years right up to the assembly elections this year. Ravi pipped Sudin's proxy, Ketan Bhatikar, by a mere 77 votes.
Now the two share seats in the 12-member 'team Pramod Sawant 2.0' but the event at Kundaim where work to build a bhandara was launched saw the duo share a 'bonhomie' publicly for perhaps the first time in three decades.
