Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (abbr.MGP) is a political party in India. It was Goa's first ruling party after the end of Portuguese rule in Goa in 1961. In the first elections held after the Annexation of Goa by India, it ascended to power in December 1963 and stayed in power till being ousted from power by defections in early 1979.
The party has its base amongst non-Brahmin Hindu migrants from Maharashtra and their descendants, a group that made up a large section of the poorer residents in Goa during Portuguese rule in Goa and whose numbers increased after 1961 by mass immigration from Maharashtra at the invitation of MGP politicians. However, the MGP proposal to merge Goa with Maharashtra was met with stiff opposition from the native Goans. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, then offered two options:[2]
To merge Goa into the neighboring state of Maharashtra and the other erstwhile Portuguese enclaves of Daman and Diu into the neighbouring state of Gujarat
A law to conduct opinion poll to decide the issue of merger or otherwise of Goa, Daman and Diu with Maharashtra/Gujarat was passed by both the houses of the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha (on 1 December 1966), and the Rajya Sabha (on 7 December 1966 and the same received the assent of the President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on 16 December 1966. An opinion poll was subsequently held on 16 January 1967 to decide the fate of the union territory which voted to retain its status as separate from Maharashtra by 34,021 votes.[3]
The continued mass immigration of Marathi people from Maharashtra to Goa helped the MGP to hold on to power for much of the first two decades of post-Portuguese Goa, despite being affected by some defections, by defeating the other contenders for power — primarily the United Goans Party (not to be confused with the United Goans Democratic Party founded in the 1990s) and the Indian National Congress.
During the first 18 years after the end of Portuguese rule, the MGP led the state government. However, the MGP today is marginalized when compared to its former status. The Bharatiya Janata Party, particularly during its reign between 1999 and 2005, took over most of the Hindu voters and also a large chunk of the MGP workers. Deepak Dhavalikar is the current president of the party and Pratap Fadte is the general secretary.[4]
History
MGP's first chief minister was the mine owner Dayanand Bandodkar, followed by his daughter, Shashikala Kakodkar, who ascended to power after her father died in office, approximately a decade after taking over power, in 1973.
After Shashikala Kakodkar left MGP and joined Congress, Ramakant Khalap became leader of MGP in Goa Assembly and from just two seats under his charismatic leadership MGP won 18 seats in the subsequent elections. As recorded by the Supreme Court of India in the cases Dr. Kashinath Jalmi vs State of Goa and Ravi Naik V/s State of Goa at one time MGP had clear majority of 25 MLAs in the 40-member Assembly of Goa, however by blatant misuse of his powers under the Anti Defection Law and Constitution of India, the then Governor of Goa did not make Khalap Chief Minister of Goa.[citation needed]
MGP's plank was largely based on populism, and promising a better deal to the Hindu economically deprived and socially oppressed sections in Goa. It was initially associated with a plank of merging Goa with the neighboring state of Maharashtra, a policy it subsequently backed away from when the 1967 Opinion Poll held in the region voted against the merger. It has also supported the use of the Marathi language; though some interpret its stand on language and merger as being partly a means of fighting caste issues and countering the domination of Goa by the traditional Hindu and Catholic elites.
The BJP allied with the MGP in the elections of 1994, and made inroads into that party's vote-base, even though it won only four seats in that election, and the MGP got 10. Over the years, the MGP, which is symbolized by a lion and has a saffron flag, has been further eroded by the ascendent BJP.
Following an election in the early 2000s, the MGP were reduced to just one seat (out of a total of 40 seats) in the Goa legislative assembly, while the BJP made large gains.
In the Lok Sabha parliamentary elections of 2004, the party had launched candidates in both constituencies in Goa. They got 5377 and 2207 votes.
1994–1999
In the early 1990s, the BJP was steadily gaining strength in national politics and was emerging as an alternative to the Indian National Congress (INC) at the center. Hoping to end years of Congress rule in the state, the MGP entered into a pre-poll alliance with the BJP in Goa.
Considering that the MGP drew its support from the Bahujan Samaj and the BJP's demands for the demolition of the Babri Masjid, many believed that the electoral alliance would prove to be a tough competition to the ruling Congress as it would help consolidate the majority Hindu votes in its favor.
The MGP contested 25 seats whereas the BJP fielded its candidates from 12 constituencies. However, in the state elections, the Congress emerged as the single largest party, yet again, winning 18 seats. The MGP received 12 seats, whereas four BJP legislators were also elected. The candidates who won the elections on MGP ticket in 1994 were:[5]
Following the results, the Congress formed a coalition government under the leadership of Pratapsinh Rane. However, in 1998, internal differences between the party leaders led to a split in the Congress.
Former CM Dr. Wilfred de Souza broke away with another nine MLAs to form a new political party – the Goa Rajiv Congress which grabbed power, thanks to support extended by both, the MGP as well as the BJP.[6] The government lasted for just 120 days and the INC seized power in November 1998, just a few months before the 1999 assembly polls.
The 1994 coalition with the BJP proved to be a strategic blunder for the MGP, affecting the prospects of the party in the future. The national party soon started eating into the MGP's traditional vote bank. As the BJP improved its tally over the next few elections, the MGP's strength has declined exponentially.[7] Many of its top leaders and ordinary cadres have either shifted to other parties or retired from active politics. Since the 1994 assembly polls, the MGP's tally has never crossed the two digit mark.
1999–2002
In the 1999 elections to the state legislature, the MGP was reduced to a mere 4 seats. On the other hand, its former partner, the BJP increased its tally to 10. The INC won a simple majority by winning 21 seats and Luizinho Faleiro was sworn in as the Chief Minister.
Shashikala Gurudatt Kakodkar, on her birthday in 2011
Fearing internal rebellion, the Congress invited other parties to merge with it or join the government.
A few days later, the United Goans Democratic Party merged into the ruling party increasing its strength to 23. Soon, even the MGP joined the government.[8] The MGP legislators who won the 1999 polls are specified below:[9]
The party improved its strength during the June 2007 state elections, in which it allied with the Indian National Congress party. The MGP got 9% of the vote and won two seats in the state assembly, a gain of one. The party entered a coalition government led by the Congress Party and also including the Nationalist Congress Party.
On 26 July 2007, its two MLAs and two Independent MLAs withdraw their support to Digambar Kamat Ministry leading to the reduction of his government into minority.[10] However, they were later wooed back and the regime subsequently completed its full term.
Assembly Elections 2012
Prior to the elections to the state assembly in February 2012, the MGP withdrew its support to the Congress led coalition government citing the medium of instruction as one of the issues. It then entered into a pre-poll agreement with the BJP. Under this agreement, the party contested eight seats (Benaulim, Dabolim, Marcaim, Nuvem, Ponda, Priol, Quepem and Thivim) while its partner fielded its candidates in another 31 seats.
The allies supported independent candidate Nirmala Sawant from Cumbharjua.[11] The elections were important for the party as it had to win either three seats or over 95,000 votes to retain its electoral symbol.
The party won three seats, all in and around the city of Ponda in central Goa. The Dhavalikar brothers retained their seats – Deepak Dhavalikar from Priol and Sudin Dhavalikar from Marcaim. Meanwhile, the MGP candidate Lavoo Mamledar beat Congress heavyweight and incumbent Home Minister Ravi Naik. The BJP won another 21 seats.
The BJP-MGP alliance came to power with the support of 26 MLAs, including two independent candidates, in the 40 member house. Sudin was the minister for PWD, Transport and River Navigation in the new cabinet.[12] Deepak holds the portfolios of Co-operation, Factories & Boilers.[12]
The crisis had even reached the point where dissolution of the party was discussed.[13] Although the MGP has been part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, the MGP and the BJP have been experiencing a rift to where Dhavalikar demanded that Laxmikant Parsekar (BJP) should resign as chief minister of Goa as a precondition for alliance talks for the 2017 polls. Parsekar responded by saying that the MGP's MLAs should resign if they were not satisfied with the CM.[14]
After the results were tallied, no party gained a clear majority; however, MGP won three seats. It decided to support the BJP-led coalition on the precondition that former CM Manohar Parrikar who was serving as the Minister of Defense in the central ministry be brought back to lead the government in Goa. The BJP agreed and MGP became a part of Manohar Parrikar led NDA government in Goa, Sudin Dhavalikar and Manohar Ajgaonkar of the MGP were given ministerial berths.[18]
in December 2021, MGP agree a prepoll alliance with All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) for Goa election. MGP will contest 13 constituencies in the 40-seat Goa Assembly. After the election results were tallied, MGP won two seats and the party gave the support latter to the BJP to Form the government in Goa again.
Chief Minister
Chief Ministers of Goa, Daman and Diu Union Territory
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a centre-right to right-wing conservative Indian political alliance led by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It was founded in 1998 and currently controls the government of India as well as the government of 17 Indian states and one Union territory.
Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar was an Indian politician and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party who served as Chief Minister of Goa from 14 March 2017 until his death. Previously, he was Chief Minister of Goa from 2000 to 2005 and from 2012 to 2014 and from 2017 to 2019. He also served as the Minister of Defence from October 2014 to March 2017. In January 2020, he was posthumously awarded Padma Bhushan.
This is a timeline of Goan history. It overlaps with the histories of other regions in South Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and colonial powers that influenced the region, including Portugal.
The Government of Goa is a state government created by the Constitution of India and has executive, legislative and judicial authority of the state of Goa. It is headquartered in Panaji, the capital city of Goa.
The 1967 Goa status referendum popularly known as the Goa Opinion Poll was a referendum held in newly annexed union territory of Goa and Damaon in India, on 16 January 1967, to deal with the Konkani language agitation and to decide the future of Goa.
The United Goans Party is a political party in state of Goa. It was formed in 1963 in the former union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu, with Jack de Sequeira as its party leader, when multiple regional parties merged during the Konkani language agitation.
Ramakant Khalap is an Indian politician. He was a member of the 11th Lok Sabha. He is also former deputy Chief Minister of Goa.
The Goa legislative assembly election was held on 3 March 2012, to select the 40 members of the Sixth Goa Legislative Assembly, as the term of Sixth Legislative Assembly ended in March 2012.
Laxmikant Parsekar is an Indian politician who held the office of the Chief Minister of Goa, a state in India from 2014 to 2017. He was the member of the Goa Legislative Assembly from Mandrem constituency, and he belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is currently an Independent politician.
Sudin alias Ramkrishna Madhav Dhavalikar is an Indian politician from the state of Goa, and a senior leader of the MG Party. He is a six-term member of the Goa Legislative Assembly, representing the Marcaim constituency and former deputy CM of Goa.
Goa Suraksha Manch is a political party in Goa a political outfit of the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch which was launched by Subhash Velingkar, a rebel Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader. The party was formed on 2 October 2016.
Manohar Trimbak Ajgaonkar is an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Ajgaonkar is a first term member of the Goa Legislative Assembly in 2007 from the Dhargalim constituency in Pernem.
Deepak Madhav Dhavalikar, also known as Deepak 'Pandurang' Dhavalikar, is an Indian politician from the state of Goa. He is a two-term member of the Goa Legislative Assembly representing the Priol constituency. He is president of MGP and has played key role in keeping the party alive in Goan politics. He was Minister in Goa Government for the period 2012–2016.
Goa Forward Party is a regional political party in the western coastal Indian state of Goa, led by Vijai Sardesai. The GFP fielded four candidates in the 2017 Goa Assembly election and won three seats. It played a crucial, if controversial, role in the return of the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in the March 2017 election results in Goa. The party's motto is "Goem, Goemkar, Goemkarponn". The party was launched on 25 January 2016 and its symbol is the coconut.
Third Manohar Parrikar Ministry is the Council of Ministers in Goa Legislative Assembly headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Manohar Parrikar was sworn in as the 10th Chief Minister of Goa state and his government won the vote of confidence in the Goa Legislative Assembly on 16 March 2017. His government won the vote of confidence with the support of 22 MLAs in the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly. During the trust vote, Parrikar was supported by the 12 MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party, 3 MLAs of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, 3 MLAs of the Goa Forward Party, 3 Independent MLAs and the sole MLA of the Nationalist Congress Party.
This is a list of minister from Manohar Parrikar cabinets starting from 9 March 2012 to 8 November 2014. Manohar Parrikar is the leader of Bharatiya Janata Party was sworn in the Chief Ministers of Goa in 9 March 2012.
Deepak Chandrakant Prabhu Pauskar is an Indian politician. He was elected to the Goa Legislative Assembly from Sanvordem in the 2017 Goa Legislative Assembly election as a member of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. He was named Minister of Public Works and Museum in Pramod Sawant cabinet. Ajgaonkar and Pauskar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in March 2019 thus minimizing Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party to one seat in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Goa on 14 February 2022 to elect 40 members of the Eighth Goa Legislative Assembly. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 10 March 2022.
The first elections to the Goa, Daman & Diu Legislative Assembly were held in December 1963, to elect members of the 30 constituencies, in the Union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu, India.
Vasudev Meng Gaonkar is an Indian politician. He is a former member of the Goa Legislative Assembly, representing the Sanguem Assembly constituency from 2002 to 2012. He is the current serving president of the BJP Kisan Morcha in the Government of Goa.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
