PANAJI
Cracks appear to be emerging within theBJP-MGP alliance ahead of the next Goa Assembly elections, with leaders of thetwo partners publicly sparring over their respective claims to contest theShiroda Assembly constituency in the election scheduled for early 2027.
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) presidentDeepak Dhavalikar's public announcement of his intention to contest fromShiroda after a party meeting last weekend proved to be the flashpoint for asharp reaction on Tuesday from sitting MLA and Water Resources Minister SubhashShirodkar, who said Dhavalikar would face his second defeat if he entered thefray against him.
The exchange has fuelled speculation of adirect contest between the two leaders in Shiroda, with many analysts opiningthat such a scenario would strain ties and prove to be one of multipleproverbial straws that break the BJP-MGP alliance's back.
For the record, both parties have repeatedlyasserted that they intend to preserve the alliance going into the 2027 polls.
Dhavalikar, a former minister and two-time MLAfrom Priol, declared after the MGP general body meeting he chaired last weekendthat he planned to contest from Shiroda in the next Assembly election.
The move stems from indications that the Priolconstituency is one of the four seats likely to be reserved for ScheduledTribes if the process, temporarily stayed by the Bombay High Court, iscompleted in time.
Dhavalikar's interest in an electoral bid inShiroda also stems from the results of the 2019 by-election for the seat,necessitated by Subhash Shirodkar's resignation to enable him to switch fromthe Congress to the BJP.
In that by-election, Dhavalikar had similarlydefied 'coalition dharma' and contested the Shiroda seat while his party wasstill tied up with the BJP and two of its MLAs -- Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikarand Manohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar -- were cabinet ministers.
However, Dhavalikar lost that election toShirodkar, but by a whisker (76 votes). While Shirodkar polled 10,661 votes,Dhavalikar got 10,585 votes.
On Tuesday, Shirodkar recalled the 2019by-election battle in Shiroda and said: "History will repeat itself if theMGP chief chooses to contest from the constituency again."
“Dhavalikar lost in 2019 and he will loseagain if he contests against me,” Shirodkar asserted.
The usually soft-spoken minister, however,declined to comment on whether it was appropriate for an alliance partner toopenly stake a claim to a seat currently held by the BJP.
"That issue is for the leadership of bothparties to tackle," Shirodkar said, refraining from commenting on the chasmor the future of the alliance.
The final call on seat-sharing would rest withsenior leaders of both parties, he added.
Shirodkar, meanwhile, is the senior-mostlegislator in the current House, having begun his career in 1984, and the BJP'sstrongest prospect in Shiroda. He has won the seat eight times in ten electionssince 1984, including the 2019 by-election and the 2022 hustings on the BJPticket. Six of his previous wins were on the Congress ticket.
