Panaji, Apr 14 (IANS): Goa Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Sunday said that Congress will be finished in Goa and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls may be the last of the grand old party from the coastal state.

Addressing a press conference here, Sudin Dhavalikar, senior leader of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, said, "Congress tried to finish us by importing our leaders. But today they are facing the same fate and their leaders are joining BJP."

"Even the remaining three MLAs of the Congress will join some other parties. I am not saying they will join us but will join some other parties," Sudin Dhavalikar, who was also minister in erstwhile Congress governments, said.

MGP, the alliance partner of BJP, has two MLAs in the 40-member Legislative Assembly.

Eight Congress MLAs, out of eleven, in Goa had switched to the BJP in 2022.

The minister said that his party has around one lakh votes in the state and will try his best to ensure that these votes add to the share of BJP candidates.

"We are fully supporting both candidates of BJP in Goa. We will organise meetings in 24 constituencies, where MGP has the support of voters. We have a total of 1 lakh votes across the state and we will make efforts that these votes go into ballots of the BJP candidates. Our candidates who got defeated in the last assembly election with few votes will work hard to support BJP candidates," he said.

The BJP has fielded Union Minister Shripad Naik from North and Industrialist Pallavi Dempo from South.

"There are rumours spread by the opposition that Pallavi Dempo has not contributed to the social field. It is not true. She comes from a highly reputed family and she is educated. We should support her," he said.