BJP MLA to tie knot at govt mass marriage ceremony in C’garh

Raipur: In a political landscape where lavish weddings often dominate headlines, Chhattisgarh BJP MLA Dipesh Sahu is set to get hitched at a govt-sponsored mass marriage ceremony on May 31.The first-time legislator will swap vows alongside 23 other couples under Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana in Bemetara, his constituency. The 35-year-old said he wanted to send out a message of simplicity, especially when PM Narendra Modi called for austerity measures.The unusual decision has sparked debate across the region, with supporters calling it a rarity in public life. The ceremony is expected to turn into a major event with chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, assembly Speaker Raman Singh, deputy chief ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, and Union minister Tokhan Sahu among a host of dignitaries expected to attend.Traditionally, such govt-organised mass weddings cater to underprivileged families who struggle to bear wedding expenses. Officials said preparations were under way to make the May 31 ceremony one of the biggest mass marriage events held in the district in recent years.“Weddings these days mean extravagance worth crores. But it also creates social pressure upon many families who wish to follow the same culture. At times, they have to take loans for a grand wedding. I want to send out a message to the Sahu community as well as others, amid the global crisis, by preferring a community wedding,” said Sahu, a political science postgraduate.Sahu entered the assembly by defeating a sitting Congress MLA in the 2023 elections. He is considered a street fighter who had protested against a former district collector for neglecting BJP workers in state’s foundation day ceremonies and claimed to have got him transferred. His Sahu community is an influential OBC group in state politics.