Surguja: Prabodh Minj, who won from the Lundra assembly constituency of Surguja division of Chhattisgarh on a BJP ticket, will take oath as the first Christian MLA to represent the party in the state.
It was a long wait for Prabodh Minj as his name had earlier surfaced as BJP's ticket contender in previous elections. This time, the party has reposed faith in him and he also lived up to the expectations.
Minj also got the backing of the Christian society in the state. Not only in the Lundra Assembly but also in the Sitapur Assembly, where the BJP was on a weak footing, the votes of the Christian community voted for the BJP. At the same time, electorates in the Ambikapur assembly, where the BJP has never won the elections only once, also voted in favour of the BJP.
Soon after his victory, Prabodh Minj, said one does not need to be afraid of the BJP which does not discriminate against people based on religion. "I'm the example as the party has given me the opportunity. Earlier, the BJP had nominated me for mayor twice. I have been working in the field of politics for 40 years. But being a Christian does not mean I should work only for the Christian society. The fact that I am from a Christian community, there is a feeling among the people in our society that if someone from our community represents, the society will also progress."
The state president of apex Christian organisation, Arun Pannalal said the Christian community in the entire state did not vote for BJP. "We formed Sarva Adi Dal which ensured maximum Christian vote for the candidate. Our party got about 50% Christian votes. Apart from this, due to delays in decision-making, many workers joined Aam Aadmi Party. Due to this, 50 per cent votes of the society got divided. Last time, we supported Congress but this time, we did the opposite," Pannalal said.
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