BJP will suffer 'historic' defeat in Rajasthan polls: Ghanshyam Tiwari

Former BJP leader and Bharat Vahini Party (BVP) president Ghanshyam Tiwari said Sunday the saffron party is set to suffer a "historic" defeat in the Rajasthan assembly elections.

Polling in the state will be held on December 7.

He also claimed that the BJP's vote bank will be affected as it has "betrayed" the upper castes in Rajasthan.

Prominent BJP leaders from the upper castes have quit the party. "The BJP has betrayed the people of upper castes and its base vote bank has slipped," Tiwari said.

He claimed that the BVP would contest on all 200 assembly seats and emerge as the third largest party without which forming a government in Rajasthan will not be possible.

The Congress is not in a position to form government and the BJP is set to face a historic defeat in the state. Forming government in Rajasthan would not be possible without the BVP, Tiwari said.

On the BSP contesting the elections, Tiwari said it would not make a major difference as the vote percentage of the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has reduced continuously in the state.

Citing a study, Tiwari claimed that it was seen that development takes places in states where there is a third political party. States with two political parties have lagged on the development front, he said.

The six-time MLA, Tiwari, who has an RSS background, is a prominent face in the Brahmin community in Rajasthan and a strong critic of the Vasundhara Raje led government.

He formed the BVP after resigning from the BJP. Tiwari was served notices for indiscipline by the BJP central leadership.

On BJP chief Amit Shah's comment that the party was like 'angad's feet' in Rajasthan and cannot be uprooted, Tiwari said neither Shah nor Raje have a feeling of democracy. "Both are dictators," the BVP chief said.

He also alleged that Shah was insulting the people of the state by saying that he will make the chief minister in Rajasthan.

Such a statement is an open challenge to the people of Rajasthan and they will accept it, Tiwari said.

Polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana will be held between November 12 and December 7 in what may be a virtual semi-final to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Counting of votes will be taken up together in all the five states on December 11.