The Maharashtrawadi Gomatak Party (MGP) has three MLAs and all represent constituencies in Ponda taluka. If the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to sideline its alliance partner, it needs to look no further than this taluka. And given the friction between the two parties over the past few months, Ponda is in for some interesting political times.
The BJP is quite candid and vocal about its ability to sever ties with the MGP in Ponda and fight the election on its own strength. “In the current situation, I along with my workers feel that BJP is strong enough to go it alone for the next election,” says BJP’s Shantaram Colvekar alleging that the local MLA, MGP’s Lavoo Mamledar, is not cooperative.
Denying the allegations, Mamledar blames the BJP for the tension between the parties. “The MGP and BJP high commands have taken a decision to continue the coalition for at least ten years. Despite this, the action of BJP workers proves that there is no discipline in the party. The party seniors have failed to control their grassroots workers,” says Mamledar.
The simmering differences between the parties have been going on for some time now. Anyone leafing through the pages of a newspaper during the last few months would have found Ponda town making the news quite regularly.
The ongoing friction between the BJP, and its alliance partner the MGP has led to clashes, not direct, but between their proxies. As the MGP, which holds the upper hand in the taluka, is trying to stave off an attack by the resurgent BJP, watching from the sidelines and waiting to grab a slice of the spoils is the Congress. In recent weeks, Congress leader Ravi Naik, in an attempt to retain his hold on Ponda constituency has taken up very local issues, criticizing the decision to make Ponda ID hospital as a quarantine facility for Ebola patients. Interestingly, the Ebola issue was not taken up under the Congress banner, but under that of the Goa Sena, a private organization led by Naik.
The other issue is the amendment to the Tenancy Act. MGP bosses, Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar and his brother Pandurang, better known as Deepak, met Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on the Tenancy Act amendment, while Mamledar has been in sparring with the BJP – directly or indirectly – on a variety of issues including the market vendors and the sopo tax issues.
Sources said the BJP is confident of its hold in the area and the grassroots karyakartas are raring to have a go at the MGP, though BJP says that the coalition is for 10 years.
The MGP, more cautious given the careful and calculating nature of the elder Dhavalikar, is not very sure of the politics in the State now that Manohar Parrikar is not holding the reins in Goa and is making efforts to consolidate its vote bank and fend off attacks on its bastions. And the attacks may not only be from big brother BJP, but also new political parties that are hoping to rope in politicians from across party lines.
For the BJP, Ponda has always been a good hunting ground. The taluka supported the BJP sending present Union Tourism Minister Shripad Naik and former speaker Vishwas Satarkar to the Assembly when the BJP was not really a major power in Goa politics. The cat and mouse game that is currently on in Ponda could well erupt into a major fight soon.
