Dayanand Balkrishna Bandodkar (12 March 1911 – 12 August 1973), also known as Bhausaheb Bandodkar,[1] was an Indian politician who served as the first Chief Minister of Goa, in the territory of Goa, Daman and Diu.

Born in Pernem to a Marathi family who had immigrated from Tuljapur, British India,[2][3] he became a wealthy mine owner following the Annexation of Goa.

Bandodkar swept the polls in 1963, 1967 and in 1972 while representing the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)[5] and remained in power until his death in 1973.

[7] His proposal to merge Goa with Maharashtra was met with stiff opposition from the native Goans.

Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India then offered him two options:[8] A law to conduct a referendum to decide the issue of merger or otherwise of Goa, Daman and Diu with Maharashtra/Gujarat was passed by both the houses of the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha (on 1 December 1966), and the Rajya Sabha (on 7 December 1966) and the same received the assent of the President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on 16 December 1966.