Goa politics saw turbulent twists and turns in 2016

Political equations in Goa took several twists in 2016 in a prelude to the assembly elections with friends turning foes overnight over petty issues.

The year gone by saw emergence of an unexpected political force, Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM), an offspring of BJP in the state, which is all set to take the saffron party bang-on in the elections scheduled this year.

Similarly, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), a trusted ally of BJP, claimed it was suffocating under the leadership of Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and subsequently both the MGP ministers were dropped from the cabinet.

RSS Goa chief Subhash Velingkar, who faced resistance from his own organisation for speaking against BJP, was one of the top newsmakers.