Dayanand Bandodkar


Dayanand Balkrishna Bandodkar and popularly known as Bhausaheb Bandodkar was the first Chief Minister of Goa, Daman and Diu. A wealthy mine owner, he sought to merge the territory with the state of Maharashtra. He swept the polls in 1963, 1967 and in 1972 while representing the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and remained in power until his death in 1973.
His proposal however to merge with Maharashtra was met by stiff opposition by the local population. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India then offered him two options:
  1. To retain Goa's current status as a Union Territory
  2. To merge Goa into the neighboring state of Maharashtra and the other erstwhile Portuguese enclaves of Daman and Diu into the neighbouring state of Gujarat
The move was ratified in both houses of the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha. It was signed into effect by the President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on 16 December 1966. An opinion poll was subsequently held on 16 January 1967 to decide the fate of the union territory which voted to retain its status as a union territory by 34,021 votes.
Bandodkar died in office on 12 August 1973 at age 62 and was succeeded by his daughter Shashikala Kakodkar. Three years after his death his son married the actress Leena Chandavarkar. He died at the age of 25 years on 7 November 1976.

Tenures

  1. 20 December 1963 – 2 December 1966
  2. 5 April 1967 – 23 March 1972
  3. 23 March 1972 – 12 August 1973