6-time BJP MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari joins Congress ahead of Lok Sabha election

Ghanshyam Tiwari joined the Congress during a meeting with Rahul Gandhi

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New Delhi: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ghanshyam Tiwari joined Congress on Tuesday, along with other party leaders like Surendra Goyal and Janardan Gehlot. They joined the party during a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the Ramlila ground in Jaipur. Apart from these leaders, 12 out of 13 independent legislators also announced their support to the Congress, the party which currently rules Rajasthan. 

Of quitting BJP, Ghanshyam Tiwari earlier told news agency PTI, "I struggled in the BJP but now I feel that it is important to join Congress for the protection of democratic values." However, he added that he would not contest the Lok Sabha election.

Ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly election in 2018, Ghanshyam Tiwari had floated Bharat Vahini Party from Sanganer seat. In the past, he has held prominent portfolios in the BJP government and is also a six-time MLA. 

The Congress has 100 MLAs in the House of 200 and its ally the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has one MLA. Meanwhile, the BJP has 73 MLAs while the BSP has six, RLTP has three, CPI(M) and BTP have two each. 

(With inputs from PTI)