Allies must abide by coalition dharma: Pramod Sawant

MARGAO: Chief minister Pramod Sawant stressed on the need for all alliance partners to abide by the principles of coalition dharma to ensure stability of the government.

“People of Goa want stability. We will stay together and complete the five-year term of the government,” Sawant said, speaking after he accompanied sitting MP Narendra Sawaikar to file his nomination for the April 23 Parliamanetary polls. He maintained that the BJP didn’t effect the split in the MGP.

“They willingly came to us and we only welcomed them,” Sawant said, in the presence of Sardesai who, just a day earlier, had demanded that the chief minister outline the roadmap of the coalition government in view of the split in the MGP. Sardesai had also called into question the “credibility” of the government in the eyes of the public, if the BJP continues to engineer such defections.

Sardesai told reporters, “My presence here, to support Sawaikar, is a part of coalition dharma.”

Replying to a query over the mining issue, Sawant said he was hopeful of an early resolution of the issue. “After taking over as the chief minister, I have started studying the issue carefully. I have started working on the issue afresh. I am confident that the solution will come as early as possible,” he said.

Earlier, Sawaikar on Thursday filed his nomination papers as the BJP candidate for the South Goa Lok Sabha polls before the South Goa collector and returning officer

Ajit Roy

. Sawaikar was the first candidate to file his nomination after the Election Commission issued the notification on Thursday for phase three of the

Lok Sabha elections

to be held on April 23.

While the nominations began on Thursday, the last date for filing of filing papers is April 4 and scrutiny of nominations will be held on April 5. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 8, the notification said.

Sawaikar was accompanied by chief minister Pramod Sawant, deputy chief ministers

Vijai Sardesai

and Manohar Azgaonkar, state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar, and North Goa MP Shripad Naik, while filing his nomination.

Speaking to reporters later, Sawant exuded confidence that the people of south Goa, who have witnessed the development works carried out by the BJP in the last five years and the “simplicity” of Sawaikar in reaching out to the common man, would once again elect Sawaikar.