Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is important widely grown vegetable in India and its productivity is affected by bacterial wilt disease infection caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. To prevent this disease infection a study was conducted to isolate and screen effective plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) antagonistic to R. solanacearum. A total 297 antagonistic bacteria were isolated through dual culture inoculation technique, out of which forty-two antagonistic bacteria were found positive for phlD gene by PCR amplification using two primer sets Phl2a:Phl2b and B2BF:BPR4. The genetic diversity of phlD (+) bacteria was studied by amplified 16S rDNA restriction analysis and demonstrated eleven groups at 65% similarity level. Out of these 42 phlD (+) antagonistic isolates, twenty exhibited significantly fair plant growth promoting activities like phosphate solubilization (0.92-5.33%), 25 produced indole acetic acid (1.63-7.78 μg ml(-1)) and few strains show production of antifungal metabolites (HCN and siderophore). The screening of PGPR (phlD (+)) for suppression of bacterial wilt disease in glass house conditions was showed ten isolated phlD (+) bacteria were able to suppress infection of bacterial wilt disease in tomato plant (var. Arka vikas) in the presence R. solanacearum. The PGPR (phlD (+)) isolates s188, s215 and s288 was observed to be effective plant growth promoter as it shows highest dry weight per plant (3.86, 3.85 and 3.69 g plant(-1) respectively). The complete absence of wilt disease symptoms in tomato crop plants was observed by these treatments compared to negative control. Therefore inoculation of tomato plant with phlD (+) isolate s188 and other similar biocontrol agents may prove to be a positive strategy for checking wilt disease and thus improving plant vigor.