Goa BJP ally unsure about supporting it for LS polls

Panaji, Oct 23 (IANS) In a bid to step up pressure on the ruling BJP in Goa, coalition ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) said on Monday that the regional political outfit would weigh its options vis-a-vis supporting the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Just because we are supporting the coalition government in Goa, does not mean that we will naturally support the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2019. We will take a final decision on the issue in six months," MGP state president Deepak Dhavalikar told a press conference after a meeting of the party's central committee in Panaji.

With three MLAs, the MGP is a key component in the BJP-led coalition government in Goa, in which the treasury benches account for 23 seats in the 40-member Goa legislative assembly.

The MGP is controlled by the Dhavalikar brothers, Deepak and Sudin -- the latter is the Public Works Department Minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led cabinet. The party has in the past allied both with the Congress as well as BJP as part of earlier ruling dispensations.

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