PANJIM: The night of March 18 saw MGP virtually splitting for few hours before their leader Ramakrishan (Sudin) Dhavalikar got his act together and kept the house united. But amidst all the negotiation, the State’s oldest regional political outfit lost the bargaining power they were mounting through the by-polls and LS polls.
Hunger for power and cabinet berth forced senior Dhavalikar to shatter his brother Deepak’s dream of contesting from Shiroda assembly constituency, from where the latter had even begun canvassing. Sudin has been a cabinet Minister since 2002 under successive State governments and his party’s contesting against the BJP in the by-polls would have ended his 17-year history.
Sources who were witness to the game of musical chairs that took place in the night at a Dona Paula resort, narrate how Dhavalikar went missing in the evening when the numbers were being put together by BJP; and then again resurfaced after realizing that two of his MLAs – Manohar Azgaonkar and Dipak Pawaskar – were about to split and merge the party’s legislature wing with the BJP.
Azgaonkar and Pawaskar had shown their willingness to be part of BJP bandwagon by merging their legislature wing. They could do it as under anti defection law, two third is required to merge the group. Two out of three in MGP were enough to take advantage of the loophole in Anti Defection Law.
The deal was struck that Dhavalikar would be dropped and Pawaskar would be inducted. Also out of the two DY CMs, only one in the form of Vijai Sardesai would remain.
But Dhavalikar’s appearance changed the entire plan, forcing the BJP to re-think on their commitments. BJP, whose affairs were maneuvered by senior leader Nitin Gadkari, managed to find the best out of the complex situation and eked out a written assurance from MGP not to field their candidate for upcoming by-elections and not to even think about the LS polls.
Sources said that in a pre-planned move, BJP kingmaker Gadkari took a written assurance from Sudin that his party will go in alliance for by-election and LS polls that they will withdraw from Shiroda. “If Sudin had not to agree to that, he would have lost the Cabinet berth, which he would not like to at any cost,” sources said.
When contacted, BJP President Vinay Tendulkar confirmed that Sudin has assured Gadkari that party will not contest the by-elections and Lok Sabha polls.
However, considering the way Deepak had been campaigning emphatically in Shiroda constituency with his bandwagon, it looks that MGP is unlikely to pull out from the constituency.
“There is no question of withdrawing from the Shiroda by poll. We are going ahead in Shiroda and my campaigning will recommence in next three days after State mourning,” Deepak told media persons while adding ‘I don’t know what Sudin has told the BJP but I am going ahead’.
However, Deepak said that party will not contest the LS elections. Also the party might not contest other by elections including that of Mapusa, Mandrem and Panjim constituencies as BJP has managed to systematically arm twist the oldest regional party to toe their line.
