Hubballi, Nov 23 (IANS): Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi claimed on Saturday that regional parties aligning with the Congress will sink and face doom, citing the election results in Maharashtra and Jharkhand as examples.

Speaking to the media in Hubballi, he said, "The Congress has lost its very existence. Regional parties that align with it will meet the same fate," There is a grim future for such alliances, he added.

Union Minister Joshi remarked, "Congress is a sinking ship in this country. Those who hold its hand will also drown."

Reacting to the thumping victory for the Mahayuti in the Maharashtra, he said, "Congress has faced a humiliating defeat in Maharashtra state. Along with it, the local parties that allied with Congress have also sunk."

He added: "In elections, winning or losing is natural. However, Congress has reached a state where its very existence is in question."

"Congress has sunk the Nationalist Congress Party-SP, led by Sharad Pawar, and the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray. If things had gone slightly differently, it would have dragged down Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) as well," Joshi claimed.

On Jharkhand, Union Minister Joshi said, "Even in Jharkhand, the BJP has given a tough fight to Congress."

The Mahayuti was headed for a thumping victory in the Maharashtra elections.

The current trends show the BJP alone fetching more seats than the combined MVA's strength. Its strike rate in the Assembly elections came as a shock for the opposition alliance as the latter mounted an aggressive campaign to counter Mahayuti's poll promises.

Trends from all 81 Assembly seats in Jharkhand indicate that the INDIA bloc was leading in 50 constituencies, while the NDA was ahead on 29 seats. Independents and others were leading in two constituencies.