Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Political fault lines widened as the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) publicly questioned the BJP’s decision not to back an alliance candidate in Curti-Ponda, declaring it will field an Independent there and “win the seat” despite pressure from its senior partner.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed that three Zilla Panchayat seats have been allotted to the MGP under the ongoing seat-sharing arrangement, while the BJP plans to support Independent candidates in several areas.
The remaining ZP candidates, he said, will be revealed on Monday.
Even as Power Minister Sudin Dhavlikar announced that the MGP will declare its full list within three days, party president Deepak Dhavlikar downplayed the significance of the ZP polls, saying the party’s primary focus is the 2027 Assembly elections.
However, the flashpoint emerged in Curti-Ponda.
MGP leader Ketan Bhatikar lashed out at the BJP’s move to claim the constituency, asserting that Curti-Ponda “is an MGP seat” and calling the BJP’s decision “surprising and unacceptable.” He said the party would not bow to political pressure and would go ahead with its Independent candidate.
Bhatikar further confirmed that the MGP would contest the upcoming Ponda by-election as well.
The tensions signal a strain within the alliance even as both parties prepare for crucial local body polls and an increasingly competitive political landscape ahead of 2027.
