THE GOAN NETWOEK
PANAJI
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) strongman and Power Minister Sudin Dhavlikar on Thursday publicly launched his son Nithil at the inaugural of the Ponda office of the Madhavrao Dhavlikar Charitable Trust.
Nithil, long rumoured to be preparing for a political foray, held centre‑stage at the brief ceremony alongside his uncle and MGP president Dipak Dhavlikar.
“The social work he has been doing makes him eligible. But it is a call he has to take if he wants to enter the electoral fray,” Dipak said when asked if Nithil will contest the 2027 assembly election.
Asked about his own prospects if Nithil contests, Dipak declared he was open to contesting from any of the four constituencies in Ponda taluka -- Ponda, Marcaim, Priol or Shiroda.
The development lent strength to political speculation that if Nithil enters the fray, the ruling BJP‑MGP alliance could face a thorny seat‑sharing challenge. Shiroda and Priol are currently held by BJP MLAs -- WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar and former minister Govind Gaude.
Any attempt to accommodate a Dhavlikar scion risks unsettling sitting legislators and sparking internal friction in the saffron alliance.
The fourth seat of Ponda itself is contested terrain. BJP had already positioned Ritesh Naik, son of the late Ravi Naik, as its candidate. He was officially nominated for the cancelled bye‑election in April.
The Dhavlikars’ expansion into Ponda therefore sets up a direct clash with the Naik family, which has been reportedly mobilising to challenge Sudin in Marcaim, itself.
The action‑reaction dynamic between the Dhavlikars and Naiks over the last couple of months has already raised eyebrows.
Both families carry strong legacies in Ponda politics, and their rivalry threatens to strain the BJP‑MGP alliance that has publicly committed to contesting 2027 together.
The battle lines in Ponda taluka are thus likely to be redrawn. Family legacies, party alliances and constituency pride are conflicting and as the 2027 battle approaches, the BJP-MGP alliance faces the challenge of managing the seat sharing.
