BJP would've won 25-26 seats if they aligned with us, says MGP prez

Panaji, March 12 The BJP would have won at least 25-26 seats in Goa, if the ruling party had aligned with us, President of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGK) Deepak Dhavalikar said on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters here, the President of the party which had entered a pre-poll alliance with the Trinamool Congress, also said that the West Bengal-based party plunged headlong into the Assembly polls too late in the day, while explaining the failure of the alliance.

"If we had aligned with the BJP, it would have won 25-26 seats. It is not a mistake. Our terms were not matching with them," Dhavalikar said.

The BJP had been trying to woo the MGP ahead of the polls, describing the regional outfit as a "natural ally", but the MGP had spurned the BJP's efforts to cement an alliance.

The MGP was in alliance with the BJP in the past dispensations as well as between 2017-2019, but its ministers were sacked from the government after the death of then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, when Pramod Sawant succeeded to the top post.

Both parties share a similar Hindu conservative vote bank.

MGP later had opted to ally with the Trinamool Congress instead, contesting 13 and 26 seats respectively.

"TMC is a new party. And they came to Goa very late. If they came to Goa a year back, then they could have done something. They came at the last minute and they had asked us for the alliance," Dhavalikar said.

"We wanted to give something new in Goa. But Goa did not want something new, they wanted something which already existed that is why they supported BJP."

The TMC failed to open its account in Goa in the February 14 polls, even as the MGP could win only two seats.

The BJP won 20 seats, just one short of a majority.

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