United Goans Party: Difference between revisions

Sensing that the merger would mean the gradual disappearance of Goa's distinct identity and culture, four parties merged to form the United Goans Party in September 1963. The four parties were the [[Partido Indiano]], [[Goan National Union]], [[United Front Goans]] and [[Goancho Paksh]].<ref name="Sakshena_Goa">{{cite book|last=Sakshena|first=R.N. Sakshena|title=Goa: Into the Mainstream|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=2003|isbn=978-81-7017-005-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7kUE7TV3ZWEC&pg=PA3|access-date=2009-06-13}}</ref> Its first president was [[Dr. Jack de Sequeira]]. The United Goans Party was formed by merging Goencho Pokx of Jack Sequeira, the Partido Indiano of [[Alvaro de Loyola Furtado]], the Goa National union of J M Desouza and United Fronts of Goans and Democratic Party who shared a common goal, that of separate identity for Goa, and which was against the merger of Goa with Maharashtra.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.navhindtimes.in/in-memory-of-jack-de-sequeira-on-his-100th-birth-anniversary/|title = The Navhind Times ePaper &#124; Goa News}}</ref>  The think tank for the United Goans Party came from its second in command, Dr. Loyola Furtado, who many consider as the brains behind the United Goans Party. The main support base for the UGP came from the [[Goan Catholics|Catholics of Goa]] and upper-caste Hindus.<ref name="goacentral_com">{{cite web|url=http://www.goacentral.com/Goahistory/Historyofgoa.htm|title=GoaCentral.Com &gt; History of Goa|access-date=2009-05-21}}</ref> Although it was predominantly Christian it did not exclude other groups and also put up Hindu and Muslim candidates.<ref name="Sakshena_Goa"/>

In the first elections held in 1963, the MGP secured 16 from a total of 30. UGP put up candidates in 24 constituencies and secured 12 and formed the opposition. Two seats, one from [[Daman District, India|Daman]] and [[Diu, India|Diu]] each went to independent candidates. De Sequeira became the leader of the Opposition. Its main manifesto item was "Separate Statehood in and outside the Assembly of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu and in Parliament". Among its key promises were the setting up of a University, industrialization, land reforms and the recognition of [[Konkani language|Konkani]] as the regional language.<ref name="Sakshena_Goa"/>{{rp|100–101}}

The [[Goa Opinion Poll|opinion poll]] was held on 16 January 1967. A total of 3,17,633 votes were polled. The merger was defeated by 34,021 votes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://drjackdesequeira.com/the_results__post-mortem.html |title=The Results & Post-Mortem<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815065605/http://drjackdesequeira.com/the_results__post-mortem.html |archive-date=2011-08-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A section of UGP MLAs were unhappy with the very idea of an Opinion Poll. A splinter group of four MLAs headed by [[Dr. Alvaro De Loyala Furtado]] came to be known as United Goans (Furtado Group). The main body of the party was known as United Goans (Sequeira Group).  The U.G.(F) received recognition from the [[Election Commission of India|Election Commission]] and used ''The Rising Sun'' as its symbol. The Furtado Group received the support from [[Goa Organised Alliance]] and fielded eight candidates in the next election. The Sequeira Group used ''The Hand'' as a symbol. The symbol was associated with [[St. Francis Xavier]]. It contested all thirty seats this time, claiming primary responsibility for the Opinion Poll and its verdict and promised a  ''separate Konkani State of Goa''.<ref name="Sakshena_Goa"/>{{rp|112}}

In 1977, [[Erasmo de Sequeira]] joined hands with the [[Bharatiya Lok Dal]], headed by [[Charan Singh]]. He did this without consulting his party members. The party members were enraged, causing the UGP(Sequeira group) to split into two groups: [[United Goans (Sequiera Group)|UGP (Sequeria Group)]] and [[United Goans (Naik Group)|UGP (Naik Group)]]. He lost the next parliamentary election to [[Eduardo Faleiro]] of UGP-N in March 1977. In the next Assembly elections, UGP-S managed to win just three seats as compared to UGP-N, which won 10 seats.<ref name="ugp_demise">{{cite web|url=http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg11147.html|title=UGP DEMISE|last=Faleiro|first=Valmiki|publisher=goanet|access-date=2009-06-04}}</ref>