Team Herald
PANJIM: After maintaining that it is impossible to withdraw from the Shiroda by-poll, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party president Pandurang (Deepak) Dhavalikar now says the party central committee may decide on withdrawing support to the Dr Pramod Sawant government.
The MGP central committee will meet Wednesday to decide on the future course of action that could reflect on the survival of the State government.
Dhavalikar said that the alliance partners were trying to stab them in the back by engineering a split in the MGP and in the process isolate Deputy Chief Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar.
“Any attempt to disturb our MLAs will be viewed seriously and we won’t mind pulling out of the government,” he said. He also said there was always the option of aligning with the opposition Congress.
Speaking about Wednesday’s meeting Dhavalikar said, “We might take certain resolutions in the central committee meeting which can have a bearing on the stability of the government led by Pramod Sawant.”
Last week, MGP had expelled its general secretary Lavoo Mamledar for anti-party activities. Dhavalikar alleged that Mamledar was made to issue a letter to the Governor and Speaker declaring authority over the legislative affairs of the oldest regional party.
“There is a larger conspiracy under which one of our senior officer bearers, general secretary Lavoo Mamledar, was made to issue a letter to the Governor and Speaker, in which he stated that he was taking over the entire authority on legislative affairs of the party,” Dhavalikar said.
On the night of March 18, when discussions of formation of the government were on, two MGP MLAs Manohar (Babu) Azgaonkar and Dipak Pawaskar, had agreed to split MGP and merge with the BJP.
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THE NUMBER GAME
+ Sawant heads a coalition government comprising the BJP, MGP, GFP and three Independents
+ In a vote of confidence his government garnered the support of 20 MLAs: 11 from the BJP, three each from MGP and GFP, three Independents
+ Fifteen MLAs – 14 from Congress and one from NCP – voted against his government
+ MGP has three MLAs in the 40-member Assembly, which is now reduced to 36
+ MGP senior leader and Marcaim MLA Sudin is deputy chief minister
+ Support of three MGP MLAs is crucial as without them the strength of the coalition government will reduce to 17
+ The majority figure in the House with a reduced strength is 18
