MGP supports Congress candidate in Mapusa assembly by-poll

Panaji: The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), ruling BJP's estranged ally, Saturday declared support to the Congress candidate in the April 23 by-election to the Mapusa Assembly constituency in Goa.

Local MGP leader Vinod Fadke said the party had decided to back Congress' Sudhir Kandolkar.

The by-election became necessary after the death of BJP MLA Francis D'Souza. The BJP has fielded his son Joshua D'Souza in the by-poll.


Fadke said as the MGP itself was not contesting the election, it decided to support Kandolkar, who is an "efficient and winnable" candidate. "We will work full-time for Kandolkar's victory," he added.

When contacted, senior MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar -- who was recently dropped from the BJP-led state cabinet -- said the party had left it to its Mapusa unit to decide whom it should support.

Interestingly, MGP president Dipak Dhavalikar is contesting Shiroda Assembly by-election where he is pitted against Congress' Mahadev Naik and BJP's Subhash Shirodkar.

The ties between BJP and MGP are strained after two MGP legislators joined the BJP in March.