Tai may head the MGP
GOANEWS DESK | 01 February 2010 16:38 IST
Shashikala Kakodkar is likely to once again take over the reins of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. The post has fallen vacant since Pandurang Raut resigned as the president and joined the Nationalist Congress Party on Saturday.
"I am prepared to think over it, provided there is a proposal", she told media persons.
Known widely as Tai, the former chief minister had played a mediator when the allegations and counter-allegations between Raut and Dhavalikar brothers resulted into the party getting defamed further.
MGP has two MLAs in the House. Sudin Dhavalikar (Madkai) is the transport minister. His brother Dipak is the MLA from Priol.
The MGP had ruled the state for 17 continuous years since 1963, the first election held in Goa after it was liberated in 1961. Bhausaheb Bandodkar was the first chief minister. Tai, his daughter, entered his cabinet in the second term.
Mrs Kakodkar was sworn in as the second chief minister on 12 August 1973, due to Bhau's sudden demise. She brought the party back to power for the fourth time in 1977 elections, but could not hold it for the full term.
After she was thrown out of power resulting into President's rule, she could neither win the election nor could her party come back to power. Since then, the MGP always remained the main opposition party, till the BJP entered the Goa Assembly in 1994.
Meantime, Tai was elected twice to the Assembly from Mayem and had even held the education portfolio during a brief coalition era, from March to December in 1990. But she lost the subsequent Assembly polls held in 1999. She also lost party president's election to Surendra Sirsat, now in the Nationalist Congress Party. She then quit active politics.
But, apparently, Shashikala-tai now plans to come back to active politics while the MGP has shrunk to a bunch of monetarily influential politicians. Its Hindu Bahujan Samaj vote bank has been hijacked by the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.s
In the meanwhile, the MGP has accepted Raut's resignation. Dipak Dhavalikar has been appointed as the ad-hoc president of the party.
it makes me laugh reading the comments about uniqueness of goa????
is it still there?? where? in mines? in drug parties??
this is something called UNIQUE GOA???
atleast giving chance to local parties...! developing them once again! can change Goa!
once again those who commented on tis name... its so foolish of you! there is something called past and something called present!!!
whatever you said about merging and all was a past! at present MGP has no such motives! please live in present! and develop it for future!
Mr J. Pinto your first sentence is worth reading becasue this is the same party (Dayanand Bandodkar) which tried to do away with Goa by merging into Maharashtra and destroying our unique GOAN-NESS. Goans with proper thinking minds should not entertain this party as well as Tai - Menino (Valpoi)
We dont want to be a part of something related to Maharashtra-wadi Gomatak Party! It sounds more for a neighbouring party Maharastra rather than Goa. Well, the best place to do welfare for MGP is more in for Maharastra
The MGP may as well retire from active politics. They are a dead party now. Their entire vote bank has been hijacked by the BJP. With Oldies coming back to take charge, one is forced to ask, where are the youth? Tai should rename it Mata-reanchi Gomantak Party
Yes, we can see what Congress and the BJP did! Giving one chance to MGP can really get GOA something better!
And speaking about the NAME of the party, (for those who made a comment in this respect), I would like to tell them that PARTY DOES NOT MEAN ITS NAME! It's all about the work!
If it was a name, can I say, if PRO n CON r opposites, is the Congress opposite of progress?
Speaking about "bakward drift of goa", please do research and find out about the performance in all the 40 constituencies; not just infrastructure but social welfare also. Compare it to the two constituencies of MGP and then make such comments!! That would be more appropriate, by having weight for what you speak!
My dear Neha: The wound may have healed but the scar remains till date and will remain forever. Just imagine we would never have been GOANS if it was not for Opinion Poll. That’s all I have to say Neha rest is up to you to judge and presume. Thanks Menino (Valpoi)