Panaji: Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) has set a deadline of January 24 for BJP to take a call on the pre-poll alliance.

MGP President, Dipak Dhavalikar told PTI that the party was ready to contest 16-18 seats on its own. "We are discussing pre-poll alliance with BJP... we have asked for 10 seats. They have to decide by January 24," he said.

MGP, the oldest regional political outfit, currently shares power with Congress-NCP at the state level, but has decided to leave the coalition and join hands with BJP. MGP had a pre-poll alliance with BJP last time in 1994.

Dhavalikar said that alliance would benefit both the parties. "There is a strong base for MGP throughout Goa, and even youth are getting attracted to us," he claimed.

MGP currently has two legislators in Goa Assembly. To retain the traditional 'lion' symbol, it will have to get at least three MLAs elected in the March 3 election.

Dhavalikar said that MGP stayed in Congress-NCP alliance only for survival. "The party has been losing its sheen after a spate of defections in the 90s. Now we have managed to revive it," he said.

Dhavalikar's brother Ramakrishna is a minister in the Digambar Kamat cabinet. "Corruption-free government would be our main agenda," Dhavalikar said. "Digambar Kamat was a bad administrator, due to which the government suffered acute problem of corruption," he alleged.

PTI