Trinamool's Goa Ally Is Hot Property: "Congress, BJP Both Contacted Us"

A day after exit polls indicated a hung assembly in coastal state Goa, sources say the BJP and Trinamool-ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) are warming up to each other. With just two days to go for the counting of votes, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the central BJP leadership is already in talks with the MGP to seek its support if his party falls short of a few numbers to form the government, reported news agency PTI. However, the MGP had earlier indicated that it won't support Mr Sawant as Chief Minister.

The MGP hasn't ruled out an alliance with the BJP either and has claimed that Congress and ruling BJP have both contacted the regional party, according to sources.

Meanwhile, sources also said that an MGP-Trinamool meeting is scheduled tomorrow to decide on a post-poll alliance. The regional party has said it will make a decision after consultation with the Trinamool Congress based on final numbers.

Pramod Sawant is in Delhi to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and brief him about the party's prospects of retaining power in Goa. Mr Sawant will later fly to Mumbai for a meeting with the BJP's Goa in-charge, Devendra Fadnavis.

MGP legislator Sudin Dhavalikar had on Saturday said his party will decide its stand after the Goa election results by taking the TMC into confidence, but will "never support" Pramod Sawant as chief minister because two MGP ministers were dropped from the state cabinet after he became the Chief Minister following Manohar Parrikar's death. Mr Dhavalikar, however, did not categorically rule out supporting the BJP again.

As exit polls predicted no party can reach the majority mark on its own, smaller players are set to leverage their power as kingmakers. Sources say the MGP and other parties have hinted that their support will come for a price - the Chief Minister's post. The BJP may face the question of sacrificing Mr Sawant for the sake of numbers.

Responding to Sudin Dhavalikar's statement, Mr Sawant said, "Even if any party supports us, it cannot take a decision on our leadership." Mr Sawant claimed it was the MGP that kept a distance from the BJP in the 2017 Goa polls and also in the elections this year.

"The MGP was dropped from the government because it contested against our official candidate in a by-election in 2019," he said.

Mr Sawant also said he has no personal differences with the Dhavalikar brothers. "The differences were political," he added.

The Congress has signalled a massive shift by saying it is open to an alliance with Arvind Kejriwal's (AAP) and the Trinamool - both bitter rivals in states like Delhi and Bengal.

"We are open to an alliance with any party that opposes the BJP. We are open to alliance with the Trinamool Congress and AAP or anyone who is against the BJP in Goa," Congress leader and Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao told NDTV.

The poll of exit polls after the end of voting yesterday showed a neck-and-neck fight in Goa. Both the BJP and the Congress are likely to win 16 of the state's 40 seats, falling short of the majority mark of 21, according to NDTV's poll of exit polls.

Elections to the 40-member Goa Assembly were held on February 14 and the results will be declared on March 10.

In the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats.

But, the BJP, which had bagged 13 seats, quickly tied up with the Deepak Dhavalikar-led MGP (Goa's oldest regional outfit), the Goa Forward Party and independents to form a government headed by Manohar Parrikar.

This time, the MGP contested the state Assembly elections in alliance with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Not taking a chance this time, Congress has dispatched P Chidambaram and its Karnataka firefighter DK Shivakumar to Goa to negotiate with potential "kingmakers". Congress leaders have also been sent to other states expecting a close verdict.

Asked whether he would be the next CM if the BJP retains power in the coastal state, Mr Sawant said, "The election was fought under my leadership. Right from our (BJP's) national president to state president, everyone has said and it has been often repeated that we will form the government under my leadership." "I am fully confident that the central party leadership will once again have faith in me to head the next government," he said.