BATTLEFIELD CANACONA
* BJP leader Satish Dhond contacted Tawadkar in a bid to persuade him not to contest against its candidate Vijay Poi Khot
* Dhond held a 2-hour meeting meeting with Tawadkar at his residence, but Tawadkar flatly rejected the offer by Dhond
* South MP Narendra Savoikar also made efforts to stop Canacona block members from going ahead with their resignations
* While several block members refused to meet Savoikar, some sought explanation on denial of party ticket to Tawadkar
* Savoikar reportedly pacified the Yuva workers by stating that surveys conducted had not gone in Tawadkar's favour
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MGP on Monday failed in its efforts to rope in disgruntled former BJP minister Ramesh Tawadkar to contest on MGP ticket from Canacona, after Tawadkar reportedly refused to accept some stiff conditions set by the MGP leadership. He has ultimately decided to contest as an independent candidate.
According to sources, Tawadkar was asked to campaign against Govind Gawade and the BJP in Priol and three other constituencies -- Sanguem, Quepem and Sanvordem where the ST community has a reasonable presence.
“The MGP leadership want Tawadkar, but they also want him to help Deepak Dhavilkar in Priol, and other candidates by working against his community. But this was simply not acceptable to Tawadkar, as he refused to work against his friend, Gawade,” said a source close to Tawadkar.
Refusing to accept this condition, Tawadkar on Monday convened a meeting with a large number of supporters and it was unanimously decided that he would contest alone as an independent candidate from Canacona constituency.
Tawadkar was originally scheduled to file his nomination papers as an MGP candidate, but has postponed his nomination for Tuesday.
Following BJP's decision to deny the party ticket to Tawadkar, its senior minister and two-term MLA, the MGP had met Tawadkar and were eager to have him contest on the MGP ticket from Canacona constituency.
In a related development, sources told The Goan that BJP leader Satish Dhond had contacted Tawadkar in a bid to persuade him not to contest against BJP candidate Vijay Poi Khot in Canacona.
According to sources, Dhond had a marathon 2-hour meeting meeting with Tawadkar at his residence, but Tawadkar flatly rejected the offer by Dhond.
Late Sunday night, South MP Narendra Savoikar also made efforts to persuade some Canacona block members not to persist with their resignations and to, instead, work for the party.
While several block members refused to meet Savoikar, some Yuva Block members met Savoikar at a shack restaurant in Palolem, where they sought an explanation on the party's decision to deny the ticket to Tawadkar.
Savoikar reportedly pacified the Yuva workers by stating that the party had conducted survey during the past one year and the surveys had not gone in Tawadkar's favour.
Savoikar claimed that Tawadkar was given enough time to improve the situation, but had failed to do so. The South Goa MP, however, did not specify what had gone in favour of Poi Khot.
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Tawadkar under pressure
from Parrikar: Dhavalikar
MGP President Deepak Dhavalikar refuted claims that the MGP had imposed conditions on former BJP minister Ramesh Tawadkar, if he were to contest on the MGP ticket from Canacona constituency.
“We never asked Tawadkar to campaign against Gawade in Priol and in other constituencies of Sanguem, Quepem and Sanvordem,” claimed Dhavalikar late Monday evening, while responding to queries from The Goan.
Asked why had Tawadkar refused the MGP ticket from Canacona constituency, Dhavalikar replied: “Tawadkar is under pressure from Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and this could be the reason why Tawadkar is not accepting the MGP ticket.”
Asked if the MGP would put up a new candidate, since efforts to get Tawadkar to contest on the MGP ticket had failed, Dhavalikar added: “We will declare our candidate for Canacona constituency on Tuesday.”
