Sudin: MGP will go ahead and contest Shiroda bypoll

PANAJI: Stating that no one can pressurise the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) into withdrawing from the forthcoming Shiroda bypoll,senior MGP leader and Minister for Public Works Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar on Tuesday said that MGP president Pandurang ‘Deepak’ Dhavalikar will contest the by-election from the particular constituency as per the decision taken by the central committee of his party.

“The decision of our central committee is final and binding on all the party men,” he added, pointing out, “And once the date of the bypolls in three constituencies is announced by the Election Commission of India, the MGP central committee would decide whether to field its candidates in the Mandrem as well as Mapusa constituencies or not.”

Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times,’ Dhavalikar brushed off the news reports that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Goa Forward Party are making efforts to corner the MGP into withdrawing from the Shiroda bypoll. “We may be the alliance partner of the government, but then finally such pressurising tactic does not work,” he added. A section of media had speculated that Minister for Town and Country Planning, Vijai Sardesai, in a battle for one-upmanship had called on ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to force him into pressurising the MGP to withdraw from the Shiroda bypoll race.

Speaking further, Dhavalikar said that the MGP is a grand old party in Goa and enjoys long tradition and place in the hearts of Goans. “Today many new and smaller parties have sprouted out on the political horizon of Goa, which do things that are not in their favour, in the long run,” he retorted without naming any party.

On a parting note, the senior MGP leader reiterated that there isn’t any kind of pressure either on him or on the MGP to reconsider the decision to field MGP candidate at the Shiroda bypoll.