‘I have focused my work in the constituency’
Special Correspondent
Panaji : Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) may field Power Minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar, its senior leader, in Ponda constituency if there is no alliance with the BJP for the next Assembly polls, sources said.
Neither denying nor confirming the possibility, Dhavalikar said that the decision on contesting the 2027 state Assembly elections from the Ponda constituency or not would be taken only after Ganesh Chaturthi.
Asked whether he was ready to contest from Ponda, he said he is prepared to contest from any constituency “under the alliance formula.”
Presently, Dhavalikar represents the Madkai constituency in the state legislative Assembly since 1999.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Dhavalikar said he is currently focused on his work in Ponda and will decide on his electoral plans at an appropriate time.
“I am working in Ponda and will decide on contesting the 2027 Assembly elections from the constituency after Ganesh Chaturthi,” he informed, pointing out, “I am using the alliance formula and I am ready to contest from any constituency.”
Dhavalikar also said the elections could be held in December 2026 or after December.
Traditionally, Ponda seat was won by the MGP. Later, Ravi Naik, former Congress chief minister, held sway over the constituency for several terms until he switched over to the BJP in December 2021. There was no BJP-MGP alliance in 2022 and Ravi Naik, contesting on BJP ticket defeated MGP’s Dr Ketan Bhatikar by 77 votes. When Bhatikar was quite confident of winning the bypoll scheduled in April this year – to fill the vacancy created due to the death of Ravi Naik, the election was cancelled. Bhatikar passed away a month later due to a snake bite.
Govt will take final call on IIT campus at Farmagudi: Sudin
Special Correspondent
Panaji : Power Minister Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar on Monday said the final decision on the proposed permanent Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa campus at Farmagudi rests with the state government, just as the Bandora gram sabha unanimously opposed the project.
“The government will discuss and deliberate on the matter and take a decision,” he added.
Dhavalikar further clarified that the gram sabha’s resolution does not automatically mean the project would be dropped, or guarantees that the campus will come up at the Goa Engineering College (GEC) site.
He said the government would deliberate on the concerns raised by local residents before taking a final decision.
Dhavalikar also said that he will verify whether the Rs 2 crore power bill waiver for the private Formula 4 (F4) race at Mopa was approved by the state cabinet or not, before making any statement about the particular decision.
He added that not every decision is taken by him, pointing out that some decisions are taken by high-powered committees of which he is not a member.
Earlier, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) had demanded a white paper within 10 days, on this racing event held in Goa, stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party government had waived Rs 2 crore electricity bill for this event, just as ordinary Goans faced penalties and power disconnections over unpaid bills.
