Panaji: On the heels of the ultimate “betrayal”, Mahashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) announced on Wednesday that it will contest both Lok Sabha seats as well as field candidates in all three constituencies —Shiroda, Mapusa, Mandrem—going to polls on April 23.MGP president Pandurang Dhavalikar said that during its hour-long central committee’s emergency meeting on Wednesday, they discussed candidates for the polls. They also decided to file disqualification petitions against tourism minister Manohar Azgaonkar and Savordem MLA Deepak Pauskar who joined BJP in a coup early Wednesday morning. Dhavalikar is contesting the Shiroda bypoll and the decision has been a bone of contention between both parties, culminating in a split.“The spilt is illegal. Let me make one thing clear, their joining the BJP is not the end of our party. The workers are with us. We are united, and we will take the party forward,” Dhavalikar told a press conference after the meeting.“We have supported BJP for so many years as we have both been on the same page, but it betrayed our trust in one night,” he said, terming the action of BJP poaching its MLAs as “midnight dacoity by chowkidars”. MGP has been supporting BJP since 2012, expect for a brief duration in 2017.On what made BJP do what it did to them, he said the only reason he can perceive is that “the chances of BJP candidates winning is low and hence it resorted to poaching. It is its style to weaken a party which it used for its benefit. We will work against their defection”.Dhavalikar said, “The candidatures of former transport minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar for South Goa and former Bicholim MLA Naresh Sawal are being considered for the Lok Sabha seats.” He added that although they haven’t discussed this with Sawal yet, workers have demanded that he be MGP’s candidate for North Goa.The candidates for Mapusa and Mandrem constituencies will be decided in the next few days, he said, adding, “We are in touch with Vinod Padke.” Phadke, who was MGP’s candidate in the 2017 assembly election, had extended his support last week to Sudhir Kandolkar, Congress’ Mapusa candidate.With two of their three MLAs joining BJP, MGP has been dealt an untimely blow, but the party president downplayed the impact. He said, “We will contest elections in the future on our own strength. There is no need for our workers to be nervous. MGP has a bright future.”He reiterated that BJP is what is today because of the backing of MGP. First in 1994, he said, that they helped it gain a foothold in the state. In 2012, with its support BJP emerged as the single largest party. In 2017, MGP helped it form the government though it had only 13 MLAs. “Yet, it breached our trust. This is a very unfortunate political development. We strongly protest it,” he said. He sounded a warning to all regional parties in the state, stating they should take notice of what has happened. “It (BJP) is destroying regional parties. They should be alert,” he said.Let me make one thing clear, their joining the BJP is not the end of our party. The workers are with us. We are united, and we will take the party forward

Stay updated with all the Latest Goa headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.