MGP to contest Shiroda & Mandrem Assembly bypolls in Goa

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), an ally of ruling BJP in Goa, Thursday announced its decision to contest the upcoming by-elections in Shiroda and Mandrem Assembly constituencies.

The announcement was made after the MGP's central committee met here under the chairmanship of party chief Deepak Dhavalikar to discuss the issue.

The bypolls are necessitated after Congress MLAs from both the constituencies resigned to join the BJP in October last year.

"The central committee decided that the MGP will not have a truck with any other political party for both the by-elections. We will contest both the seats on our own," MGP general secretary Lavu Mamlatdar said.

Dhavalikar has already announced his candidature from Shiroda constituency, the seat, which fell vacant after the then Congress MLA Subhash Shirodkar resigned to join BJP.

Mamlatdar said that both the Assembly constituencies have been traditionally bastions of the MGP.

"We had contested the 2017 Assembly election from both the seats. We have enough strength to get our candidates elected from both the seats," he said.

The MGP, Goa Forward Party (GFP) and independents are alliance partners in the BJP-led coalition in Goa formed in 2017.