BJP's defeat certain in all five poll-bound states: Tejashwi Yadav

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. File Pic

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Monday asserted that the BJP's defeat is "certain" in the five states where assembly polls are due next month, reported news agency PTI.

The young Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader briefly interacted with journalists at the airport here, before boarding his flight for Delhi from where he will leave for Japan on Tuesday on an official tour, reported PTI.

"The BJP's defeat is certain. There can be no doubt about that," said Tejashwi Yadav, when asked about the poll scenario in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram, reported PTI.

Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are ruled by the Congress, the RJD's old ally, and the BJP hopes to cash in on the incumbency factor in these two states. In Madhya Pradesh, the saffron party seeks to retain power by surmounting the incumbency factor and overcoming the stiff challenge posed by the Congress, reported PTI.

In Telangana and Mizoram, the BJP is yet to emerge as a force to reckon with.

Yadav was also asked about the recent speculations of yet another volte-face by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who spoke, in public, of "personal friendships" he had with many BJP leaders, though he had snapped ties with the party a year ago, reported PTI.

"This is not even a topic worth being discussed. There is no element of seriousness in such speculations," the deputy CM said.

Asked about Kumar later seeking to dismiss speculations of a realignment with the BJP by describing the young RJD leader as "my kid ('mera bachcha')", which has drawn snide remarks from the saffron party, Yadav said, "Indeed, the BJP has objections to all good things. It has objections to the fact that our government is fulfilling its promise of job creation."

"It also has a problem with the state figuring at the bottom in terms of crime rate, as per the NCRB data," he said.

About his Japan tour, Yadav said "the people of that country have strong sentiments about Bihar because of its association with the Buddha. I hope to meet leaders in trade and tourism sectors and explore the possibility of collaborations that would benefit the state."

(With inputs from PTI)