MGP, GFP to team up with Michael Lobo for Goa Assembly Polls 2022

PANAJI: A new political alliance between very unlikely bed fellows is possibly in the offing in Goa. If sources are to be believed, the Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Calangute BJP MLA Michael Lobo may team up together to form a new alliance to take on the BJP government in Goa.

The recent meetings between Lobo, Vinod Palienkar and Sudin Dhavalikar are not just ‘chai pe charcha’ but there is more than what meets the eye.

The MGP is also considering an alliance with the AAP, but it is unlikely that anything will work out in that direction as the AAP already has candidates in the same constituencies where the MGP is planning to contest from.

Michael Lobo wants to play a major role in candidate selection in Bardez and Tiswadi talukas, which his own party the BJP is not willing to let him do. On the other hand ‘Babush’ Atanasio Monserrate who is now well-entrenched in the BJP setup wants three tickets – himself, his wife Jennifer Monserrate and his son Rohit, besides the St Andre ticket for sitting MLA Francisco Silveira.

While Babush is pitching for the St Cruz ticket for his son Rohit, it is not sure what will happen to the sitting St. Cruz MLA Antonio ‘Tony’ Fernandes, who was keen on contesting as an independent and not on a BJP ticket.

The NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) which is waiting for a reply from the Congress is also likely to join this alliance, which will mean that there will be four major players in the state – the BJP, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party and the MGP-GFP-Micheal Lobo alliance.

The Congress has indicated that it wants to go solo in the polls, but has not ruled out any alliance so far. The local Congress MLAs including party president Girish Chodankar have time and again stated that the decision regarding an alliance will be taken by Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao and senior Party Observer for Goa P Chidambaram.

With less than six months left for the Assembly polls, the next one month will see a lot of political drama in Goa as loyalties change and new alliances crop up.