-Margao, Fatorda still open
-UGDP has candidates in north
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Team Herald
MARGAO: The “yeh dosti” of United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) and Mickky Pacheco’s Goa Vikas Party has lost its sheen of friendship in just a day. UGDP’s Radharao Gracias who did not grace the alliance party on Tuesday evening, read out the “friendship mantra’ to GVP boss Mickky Pacheco. Radharao’s message was simple- be fair.
The UGDP ideologue warned that his party would go ahead and field candidates in constituencies wherever it has a winning chance, if Mickky Pacheco turns out to be unreasonable on seat sharing.
Referring to Mickky’s statement that the GVP will contest in 33 seats and the UGDP in three seats, Radharao asserted that the UGDP will certainly not give up so many seats. He clarified that both parties have inked a deal only for Salcete taluka, while asserting that nothing has been finalized in the remaining seats. “As far as the eight seats in Salcete is concerned, we have decided to share three seats each. The remaining two seats of Fatorda and Margao are still open”, Radharao added.
Saying the UGDP is equally keen to stitch an alliance with the GVP to prevent fragmentation of the regional vote bank, he, however, cautioned that regional players should be reasonable in their demands vis-à-vis seats. “The UGDP in particular has strong contenders in Calangute, Saligao, Mapusa, Porvorim, Aldona, Taleigao,
Apparently peeved by the GVP chief’s remark, Gracias emphasized that the UGDP as a political party has been fighting for
Meanwhile it is reliably learnt, that backchannel efforts are on for GVP to agree to giving UGDP a larger chunk of seats so that the winning combination has a better post-poll bargaining power. Close aides of Mickky are working on this formula even as the sparring goes on in public.
