Sandesh Prabhudesai
14 May 1999
Last-minute attempts are still on to forge an alliance between two
major anti-Congress parties - the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Bharatiya Janata
Party - in Goa for the state Assembly elections.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde is rushing down here
tomorrow morning to resume unity talks, which were suspended as leaders of both the
parties could not come to consensus on seat sharing.
Common friends of both the parties, which are fighting to retain its
hold over the majority Hindu community here, are finding it extremely difficult to hold
healthy sitting as relations between prime leaders on both sides have strained to the
extent of no return.
The BJP could actually make a debut in the 40-member Goa Assembly with
four seats in ’94 polls only because of the alliance they forged with the MGP. But
neither could they function together in the House nor could continue the alliance in both
the rounds of Lok Sabha elections held later.
The saffron party, which had ultimately contested 12 seats last time,
are now asking for equal share while agreement on 12 seats has been made a precondition to
begin talks. The MGP, on the other hand, has been offered only nine seats though they had
won total 12 seats in ’94.
These 12 seats include, besides the four ones represented by former BJP
legislators, one seat of former MGP legislator for the BJP’s state president, Dr
Suresh Amonkar. They have also staked claim for three more MGP seats which the party had
won but the MLAs later split to join the Congress government.
Local leaders of BJP, in the meanwhile, are already in the national
capital to seek consent of the central leaders for 34 candidates, in case talks fail. The
MGP, on the other hand, is also busy finalising its list, though none of the parties have
released their list as last date to file nominations is hardly three days away.
While the MGP has put a precondition that chief minister would belong
to their party, Goa’s oldest regional party has also rejected BJP’s proposal to
have seats adjustments only in 21 constituencies and friendly contest in the rest of 19
segments. They are pressing for a proper alliance.
If talks fail even after Munde’s intervention, the MGP is planning
to revive its half-left regional front along with the Goa Rajiv Congress and the United
Goans Democratic Party. The GRC, led by former Congressman Dr Wilfred de Souza, however
would be left alone if the alliance works out.
The UGDP, which has gained command over at least six to eight constituencies in
Catholic-dominated areas of Salcete taluka, has however decided to go alone but not to
join hands with MGP-BJP alliance. Institutions like the Church would then succeed in
diverting all its anti-Congress votes to the Congress while wiping out their base, they
fear
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