By Rupesh Samant
The meeting of BJP National President Nitin Nabin with alliance partners, including the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Independents, has sent a clear signal that the party is gearing up for the 2027 elections in the coastal state.
While the BJP President held a series of meetings with party leaders, what stole the limelight was his interaction with NDA leaders.
On Friday, Nabin met NDA partners, including the MGP and Independent MLAs such as Chandrakant Shetye, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, and Anton Vaz.
The body language of the leaders after their meeting with Nabin was clear — it reflected alliance and coalition prospects for the 2027 elections.
The BJP is likely to take along the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and all the Independents for the upcoming elections. Political experts predict that the party may offer a merger proposal to the MGP.
BJP Goa President Damu Naik, on GNH’s show Hub Encounter, made it clear that the party wants the MGP to merge. However, he was quick to clarify that it was his individual opinion.
Considering the dwindling popularity of the Dhavalikar brothers-controlled party, it may have no option but to merge with the BJP or limit itself to a couple of constituencies like Madkai, Priol, and Ponda.
The Mandrem constituency was once a bastion of the MGP. But times have changed. The 2022 election in Mandrem was won largely due to the popularity of Jit Arolkar, not the party’s Lion symbol.
Jit is close to the BJP. To complicate matters further, he appears to be drifting away from MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar. This means the MGP may not be able to bank on Jit for the 2027 elections.
He is likely to get a BJP ticket from Mandrem, as he is considered a blue-eyed boy of the Chief Minister. The other two contenders — Dayanand Sopte and Laxmikant Parsekar — are out of the race.
The comfort level Jit shares with the BJP clearly indicates his possible entry into the party ahead of the polls.
Anton Vaz and Reginaldo are unlikely to join the BJP, but they are expected to be the party’s preferred candidates in the Cortalim and Curtorim constituencies, respectively.
Bicholim MLA Chandrakant Shetye was frank enough to admit that he will be joining the BJP. There appears to be no competition for Shetye in the Bicholim constituency, making him the frontrunner for the party ticket.
To sum up, it is amply clear that the BJP is mincing no words in telling its alliance partners that they should align with the party for the 2027 polls. Time will tell whether the MGP will merge with the BJP or whether the Dhavalikars will remain content with their Antruj-centric politics.
