Panaji, Mar 30 (TOI): Brushing off resentment brewing among the founder members of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the merger of MGP legislative wing with BJP, state party president Vinay Tendulkar on Friday said the decision was taken after consulting central leaders.

He said that if MGP is smart then it will not contest against BJP in the Lok Sabha elections as well as the bypolls. "We are winning both parliamentary seats, as well as the byelections," he said.

Tendulkar told reporters that MGP told its MLAs at 5pm Tuesday that it will withdraw support from the BJP government. He added that Azgaonkar and Pauskar approached BJP immediately and decided to merge with it.

Former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar had said there no longer appeared to be need for a cadre or party organisation. "Any elected members will do for us. At least this is the scene in Goa," he said.

Rajendra Arlekar, who was speaker in the BJP-led state government till his defeat to present tourism minister Manohar Azgaonkar in 2017, had warned that the trend of wooing legislators from other parties did not bode well for BJP or the state. "Why should the party be built? Why should booths be formed? I fail to understand the need for this," he had said.

Tendulkar said they have to take this step because MGP president Pandurang 'Deepak' Dahavlikar decided to contest the Shiroda byelection despite giving assurance to Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to arrive in Goa on April 12 to address a public meeting, mostly meeting would be held in an around Panaji. Tendulkar said that venue of PM meeting is yet to be finalized but the meeting would be held in morning.

Shiroda ZP member Jaideep Shirodkar joined BJP in support of its candidate Subhash Shirodkar. Tendulkar told reporters that Jaideep's father was a two-time MLA from Shiroda.