Indian church leaders have given their support to the Hindu-Nationalist BJP Party
India’s governing party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has won significant victories over the Congress Party in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Haryana, according to results announced on Sunday. The election marks a shift in Indian politics with Christians coming out in support for the Hindu Nationalist BJP over the secular Congress Party. While church leaders have not endorsed particularly parties or candidates, Catholic and Protestant leaders have urged their flocks to support “good government” – an election slogan of the BJP. The Bishop in Nagpur of the Church of North India, the Rt Rev Paul Dupare told the Times of India: “While we urge our community members to go and vote, we don’t compel them to vote in a particular manner. They are quite enlightened and vote for the person that they deem best for their area.” Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay stated India “needs a government that promises inclusive growth, one that takes care of everybody. Yet, whichever party or candidate people choose to vote for, I exhort them to cast their vote,” he said. . The Rev John Silas, vicar of Christ Church in Bombay said, “Good governance is a must. Everybody banked on the Congress for a long time but somewhere something went wrong. (President) Modi is extremely articulate as compared to past incumbents. We cannot predict the future but let us at least vote for good people.”
