Lion roars as MGP makes it count with 3/3

Panaji: MGP performed well in the ZP elections, winning all three seats that it contested while also ensuring that it remains relevant as a decisive player in govt formation for the 2027 assembly elections.Through Monday’s results, the Dhavalikar duo of Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar and Pandurang ‘Deepak’ Dhavalikar sent a subtle message to BJP that MGP cannot be written off anytime soon. At the same time, the party has shown that it will not play second fiddle in constituencies where it has tremendous influence.The party won three ZP seats — Cuelim, Morjim, and Veling-Priol — overcoming the threat that BJP karyakartas may not fully support them, especially in Priol, where former art and culture minister Govind Gaude would want to prove his clout.Gaude, the BJP MLA for Priol slighted over being dropped from the cabinet, wanted to send a strong message by ensuring that the Curti seat was won for BJP. The saffron party’s ZP candidate, Pritesh Gaonkar, won from Curti by around 700 votes. Curti assumes significance as it is split between the Ponda and Priol assembly constituencies, and in 2020, this seat was won by MGP. Polling Data shows that BJP’s victory in Curti came because of the lead taken in booths from the Ponda assembly area, while the vote share declined from those booths that are part of the Priol assembly constituency.

However, Gaude failed to retain the Betki Khandola seat for BJP, which is a part of the Priol assembly constituency. BJP’s setback in Betki Khandola is going to make Gaude’s life difficult, a development that will give the Dhavalikars something to chuckle about. It’s no secret that there is no love lost between the Dhavalikars and Gaude, and MGP would be keen to send a message to BJP top brass through independent candidate Sunil Jalmi’s victory.

Jalmi won the Betki Khandola seat, defeating BJP’s Shramesh Bhosle, with indications that MGP may have worked from behind to undermine Gaude.MGP also retained their Cuelim (Kavlem) and Ponda constituencies with Ganpat Naik from Kavlem receiving highest votes of 9,387 in the Ponda taluka and Pushpa alias Aditi Gaude from Priol-Veling winning by the highest margin of 5,833 votes in Ponda taluka. Pushpa received 8,176 votes.If one looks for another touchstone for the BJP-MGP combine’s strength, the Arambol ZP constituency offered further insights. Independent candidate Radhika Paleykar defeated the BJP-MGP alliance candidate Manisha Korkhankar at Arambol, and in doing so, exposed the internal dynamics between the two parties. Morjim, the second ZP seat in the Mandrem assembly constituency, was contested under the MGP banner where Tara Hadfadkar romped home to victory, strengthening the hands of the Dhavalikar brothers.BJP was relying on Mandrem MGP MLA Jit Arolkar to ensure that Korkhankar crossed the finish line first.In the 2020 ZP elections, MGP won three seats across the state — Curti, Veling Priol, and Cuelim (Kavlem). This time around, MGP kept its tally intact. These three seats are crucial for MGP so that its bargaining power increases in the 2027 polls as the internal tension between the ruling dispensation and its alliance partners remains.