Congress has much to gain from MGP support

PANAJI: Having lured two of its three MLAs into the party and left Ramkrishna Dhavalikar on his own, Union minister for shipping and transport Nitin Gadkari appealed to the voters to eliminate

MGP

from the political stage. That may be easier said than done.

In fact, MGP, or more specifically the Dhavalikars, have their own pockets of influence and will have an important role to play in the

Lok Sabha

elections after pledging its support to Congress.

“MGP’s support clearly means advantage Congress. They have nothing to lose from this situation,” said political commentator Prabhakar Timble. The Dhavalikars have a strong base in Ponda taluka, which includes Madkai, Ponda, Priol and Shiroda. Beyond the taluka, MGP has some presence in Bicholim, Pernem talukas and pockets of Mapusa, Sanvordem and some other assembly segments.

“MGP as a party may not have as much influence but you cannot discount the Dhavalikars who can swing their votes in some segments. It will be interesting to see how much Congress can benefit, but they certainly don’t have anything to lose,” said another observer.

One reason that the transfer of votes may not be smooth is that it’s easy for MGP workers to jump on to like-minded BJP rather than ideologically opposed Congress.

Nowhere is the influence of Dhavalikars and MGP seen more than in Ponda taluka. For the South Goa seat, Congress is banking hugely on Dhavalikar for a lead in his assembly segment of Madkai.

In the past, the former deputy chief minister provided BJP candidates with a lead. For example, Narendra Sawaikar picked up a lead of more than 11,000 in Madkai alone, a significant development given that he won the battle with just over 32,000 votes.

In the last parliamentary election, Ponda taluka had given BJP a substantial lead. Sawaikar rode on the huge leads in Ponda, Shiroda and Madkai—nearly 17,000—to edge past Congress. Significantly, this is the first Lok Sabha election in recent times when MGP is not supporting BJP. “If MGP can give a lead to Congress in the three assembly constituencies of Ponda taluka, Francisco Sardinha could end up winning the seat,” said another political analyst.

In Bicholim taluka, a political observer said, if former MLA Naresh Sawal and others work hard, MGP votes could move to Girish Chodankar of Congress. Similarly, in Priol, which was represented by MGP earlier, BJP’s huge leads from the 2009 and 2014 elections—5,000 and 13,000, respectively—could be significantly reduced.

“Undoubtedly, Congress will gain from the MGP support. South Goa Congress candidate is surely winning,” Sawal said.

Elsewhere, MGP has limited presence. In Pernem, the defection of tourism minister Manohar Azgaonkar has left the party handicapped, while

Mandrem

which was considered a bastion for three decades, the Lion’s presence and influence is diminishing.

“BJP’s long-term plan is to wipe out MGP from Goa’s political chessboard. Despite the personal relations, Gadkari’s attack on MGP may have been in that direction,” said a political analyst.

Both are targeting the same section of the electorate. While BJP opened its account in the Goa assembly riding piggyback on MGP in 1994, BJP feels MGP is a stumbling block for its growth in pockets where the regional party is still a force. With BJP and MGP now looking in opposite direction, will Congress benefit?