PANJIM: Not favouring early Assembly polls for Goa, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has informed the BJP national leadership about the State unit’s intention to continue the alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) in the 2017 polls provided the allies are interested.
Parsekar, who was on two-day visit to New Delhi on Sunday and Monday, met BJP national President Amit Shah, and raised apprehensions about early polls in Goa. “Our tenure ends in March so we want elections in the beginning of March. We don’t want elections before that. The same has been put before the party president,” he said.
The Chief Electoral Office has proposed polls in December for Goa. However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is yet to take a call on it. Along with Goa, four other States are due for elections in early 2017.
The Chief Minister also expressed his willingness to continue the alliance with MGP in the upcoming polls. He will meet with MGP leaders Ramkrishna and Pandurang Dhavalikar on the alliance issue.
“We always wanted to maintain and continue our alliance with MGP. Few MGP members were expressing their reluctance towards this. BJP never spoke about breaking ties with MGP,” Parsekar told Herald on his return from Delhi. “This same thing I have told Amitji,” he said.
As reported earlier, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Parsekar and the Dhavalikar brothers had met to ensure they stay together during the polls.
In the recent past there has been growing resentment between the grassroots workers of both parties. MGP workers, including MLA Lavoo Mamledar, are not in favour of continuing the alliance with BJP and are prepared to contest all 40 Assembly seats.
