Many renowned personalities from Chhattisgarh, attracted by the customs and policies of the party, flocked to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday. The party witnessed a massive influx of supporters, including Padma Shri awardees, former IAS officers, social leaders, public representatives, farmers, students, advocates, film producers, directors, production managers, and people from the business world. The grand ceremony, held at the BJP office, saw the presence of prominent leaders such as Arun Sao, BJP State President; Om Mathur, State In-charge; Dr Raman Singh, National Vice-President and former Chief Minister; Laxmi Verma, State Vice-President; Kedar Kashyap and Vijay Sharma, State General Secretaries and MP Sunil Soni.

Notably, a staggering number of 309 artists, including leading actors, embraced the BJP. Among them, 169 artists hailed from the Durg division, around 100 from the Raipur division, and 28 artists from the Bilaspur division. These individuals, led by Padma Shri awardee Radheshyam Barle, had been honoured with State Decoration Awards in various artistic genres. Under the guidance of Padma Shri awardee Anuj Sharma, a dozen artists from Chhattisgarh’s film industry, along with several producers, directors and production managers joined BJP.

A diverse group of 52 people, comprising students, farmers, businessmen, and advocates, also pledged their allegiance to the party. Joining the ranks of the BJP were several distinguished figures, including former District Collectors, Rajpal Singh Tyagi, former Joint Secretary, former Secretary of Administrative Reforms Commission, and Rajendra Nayak Patel, All India Marar, Mali, Kushwaha, Maurya, Saini Mahasabha Chhattisgarh State President, along with 28 social leaders representing the backward classes in Raipur division. Moreover, Vijay Dhruv, a prominent youth social worker hailing from the Gond tribal society in Raipur division, spearheaded a group of 35 young individuals from Sahu Samaj, Nishad Samaj, Sen Samaj, Kurmi Samaj, and Scheduled Castes of the Dhamtari-Sihawa region, who embraced BJP membership. The event also witnessed the inclusion of 28 social workers led by Amar Bansal, an independent councilor of the Raipur Municipal Corporation.

Notable personalities like Swami Krishna Prapannacharya, High Court advocate Nishant Srivastava, retired government servant Ishwarlal Sahu from the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, as well as advocates Trey Deenbandhu Gaur, Praveen Pal, and Ramkrishna Dhruv from Raipur, also made their way into the BJP. Congratulating all the individuals for joining the BJP, State President Arun Sao emphasised that the event marked an auspicious beginning for the party in Chhattisgarh. He proclaimed it as a clear sign that the countdown for the Congress and its State Government had commenced. Disenchanted with Congress’ misgovernance, the people of State now place their faith in the Bharatiya Janata Party.