SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) legislator Sudin Dhavalikar on Monday admitted that he had talks with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for pre-poll alliance in the upcoming Goa Assembly polls.
Dhavalikar also said that his party is not averse in having alliance with the Congress Party or any other political party provided they don’t give tickets to defectors.
“I had a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while he was on Goa visit. He has invited me to Delhi to see the good work being undertaken by the AAP government. I have accepted Kejriwal’s invitation,” he said.
Dhavalikar said that the MGP has plans to contest 24 seats even as candidates for 18 constituencies have been shortlisted for the ensuing Assembly elections.
To a question, the former Deputy Chief Minister said that the regional party will have no problem to forge pre-poll alliance with the Congress party provided they do not give tickets to defectors.
“We are completely against defections and we want to stop it because voters are cheated. The new MGP executive committee has now decided not to give tickets to defectors even if they rejoin the party and also not to align with other parties if they allot tickets to defectors,” he said suggesting that defectors should be banned from contesting elections for a period of six years by amending the Anti-Defection Act.
Dhavalikar said that he has been fighting against defections since the year 2000 and that he has been inserting advertisements and writing letters to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and President of India, stating the need to amend the Anti-Defection Act and to stop elected MLAs switching sides mid-way.
