The 2023 count in Lundra (ST) produced a clear result: Prabodh Minj of the BJP won with 87,463 votes, while Dr. Pritam Ram of the INC finished second with 63,335. The winning margin was 24,128 votes. Alexander Kerketta of the AAP was third with 2,599 votes and NOTA recorded 2,906. Election Commission records list 193,902 electors and turnout at 85.43%. The five-year comparison matters because the 2018 winner was Dr. Pritam Ram of the INC, making 2023 a change in the winning party.

The margin that separated winner and runner-up

At the centre of the result were the 87,463 votes polled by Prabodh Minj and the 63,335 received by Dr. Pritam Ram. Their separation of 24,128 votes decided the seat. Using the turnout and electorate as a broad denominator, about 165,650 voters participated; the winner’s total is roughly 52.8% of that base and the runner-up’s about 38.2%. The certified candidate totals, rather than these calculated percentages, remain the primary result figures.

The third-place vote added another layer

The third-place number adds another layer. Alexander Kerketta received 2,599 votes, about 1.6% of the approximate turnout base. That does not establish where those voters would have gone in a different contest, but it does show that the 2023 result cannot be reduced to only the top two candidates. The third-place vote was a real and measurable part of the constituency’s count.

2018 vs 2023: how the result changed in five years

In 2018, Dr. Pritam Ram of the INC won Lundra (ST) with 77,773 votes and Vijaynath Singh of the BJP was runner-up with 55,594. The margin then was 22,179 votes. By 2023, the margin stood at 24,128. Placing the two elections side by side therefore shows changes in the leading candidates, the volume of votes and the distance between first and second place.

What changed at party level

The party outcome also changed: the INC held the seat after the 2018 count, while the BJP won it in 2023. The official result cannot by itself establish a single cause for that shift, but it does establish the change in representation and the new vote distribution. That is the most defensible way to describe the five-year movement in Lundra (ST).

Turnout and the size of the electorate

Turnout provides the scale around those numbers. With 193,902 electors and 85.43% turnout, roughly 165,650 people voted. Turnout alone does not identify which party benefited, but it shows the size of the electorate within which a margin of 24,128 votes was produced.

The official NOTA count

NOTA received 2,906 votes. It is recorded as a separate option and should not be reassigned to any candidate in a hypothetical calculation. For the historical result, the decisive figures remain the candidate totals and the certified margin between first and second place.

Three numbers that define the constituency result

For Lundra (ST), in Surguja district, the result is best understood through three candidate totals: Prabodh Minj at 87,463, Dr. Pritam Ram at 63,335 and Alexander Kerketta at 2,599. Set beside the 2018 Dr. Pritam Ram versus Vijaynath Singh contest, these figures provide a straightforward account of how the seat’s electoral order changed over five years. Claims about caste, community or booth-level behaviour would require separate evidence and are not inferred from the aggregate result.

A fixed 2023 baseline for later comparisons

The 2023 result is a historical record, not a forecast. Any later comparison can return to the same fixed baseline: winner 87,463, runner-up 63,335, third candidate 2,599, NOTA 2,906, turnout 85.43% and margin 24,128.

2018 vs 2023 Result Comparison

The statewide backdrop to the constituency result

Across the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly in 2023, the BJP won 54 seats, the Congress 35 and the Gondwana Gantantra Party one. Election Commission party-performance data records 7,234,968 votes for the BJP and 6,602,586 for the Congress statewide. Lundra (ST) was one part of that larger election, but its constituency result had its own count: Prabodh Minj of the BJP led with 87,463 votes and Dr. Pritam Ram of the INC followed with 63,335. Statewide seat totals do not substitute for constituency-level evidence; the seat result is determined by the votes recorded in Lundra (ST).

From the 2018 backdrop to the 2023 count

In the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly election, Congress won 68 seats and the BJP 15. In Lundra (ST), Dr. Pritam Ram of the INC won that year with 77,773 votes, while Vijaynath Singh of the BJP was second with 55,594. Five years later, the statewide balance of seats changed and the constituency produced a fresh count. The comparison establishes what changed in the official record; it does not by itself explain voter motives or prove a single cause for the shift.

Vote totals across 2018 and 2023

Putting the leading totals side by side sharpens the story. The 2018 winner, Dr. Pritam Ram, had 77,773 votes; the 2023 winner, Prabodh Minj, recorded 87,463. The 2018 runner-up, Vijaynath Singh, had 55,594, compared with 63,335 for 2023 runner-up Dr. Pritam Ram. These are not direct “vote transfers” because candidates, electorate size, turnout and campaign conditions can change. They are, however, certified totals that show how the numerical shape of the contest moved from one election to the next, including a margin that changed from 22,179 to 24,128 votes.

The story told by the winning margin

The 24,128-vote margin is the central distance in the 2023 result. It was produced within an electorate of 193,902 and turnout of 85.43%. The 2018 margin had been 22,179 votes. A larger or smaller margin is a factual description of the distance between first and second place, not a standalone measure of political strength. Explaining why a margin changed would require campaign, booth-level or survey evidence beyond the aggregate result.

Third place and the votes outside the top two

Alexander Kerketta received 2,599 votes and NOTA 2,906, showing that the Lundra (ST) count extended beyond the two leading candidates. The third-place total was smaller than the winning margin. That comparison helps describe the structure of the result, but it does not imply that those votes belonged to either leading candidate in a hypothetical two-way contest. The certified result records each choice separately, and this article keeps those categories separate.

The 2023 timeline from polling to counting

Lundra (ST) was among the Chhattisgarh constituencies that voted on 17 November 2023, with counting and declaration of results on 3 December. Votes cast through EVMs and eligible postal ballots formed the final official count. Against turnout of 85.43% and an electorate of 193,902, Prabodh Minj reached 87,463 votes, Dr. Pritam Ram finished on 63,335, and the distance between them settled at 24,128. Once the result was declared, those figures became the constituency’s certified 2023 electoral record and the basis for any later historical comparison.

Votes recorded beyond the top two candidates

The winner and runner-up together received 150,798 votes. Against approximate participation of 165,650, a substantial part of the count was therefore recorded outside the top two as well, including 2,599 for Alexander Kerketta, 2,906 for NOTA and votes for other candidates. This matters because the constituency was not a ballot containing only two choices. Those votes cannot be reassigned to one side after the fact; each candidate and NOTA was a separate choice in the certified count, and the final ranking reflects those actual choices.

How representation changed between 2018 and 2023

Dr. Pritam Ram was elected from Lundra (ST) in 2018; Prabodh Minj won in 2023. The five-year comparison is more than a change of names because the scale of the vote also moved. The 2018 winner had 77,773 votes and the runner-up 55,594, while the leading 2023 totals were 87,463 and 63,335. The margin changed from 22,179 to 24,128. That makes 2023 a new reference point in the constituency’s electoral history, with candidate, party, turnout, vote totals and margin all available for later comparison.

The clearest conclusion from the result

Four points can be stated from the Lundra (ST) result without adding speculation. First, Prabodh Minj won with 87,463 votes. Second, Dr. Pritam Ram was runner-up with 63,335, leaving a margin of 24,128. Third, Alexander Kerketta received 2,599 and NOTA 2,906, confirming a measurable vote outside the top two. Fourth, compared with the 2018 Dr. Pritam Ram versus Vijaynath Singh result, the 2023 count established a new leading order. Explaining motives, community-level behaviour or a future election would require separate evidence; the strongest foundation for a 2023 result story is the verified count itself.

Why the 2018 comparison matters for this seat

The comparison is especially useful because it prevents the 2023 result from being viewed in isolation. In 2018, Dr. Pritam Ram led the count with 77,773 votes and Vijaynath Singh followed with 55,594; in 2023 the corresponding leading positions were occupied by Prabodh Minj with 87,463 and Dr. Pritam Ram with 63,335. The constituency itself also had a larger 2023 electorate of 193,902, so raw vote totals should be read together with turnout rather than treated as percentages of an unchanged voter base. The winning margin moved from 22,179 votes in 2018 to 24,128 in 2023. This does not prove a cause, but it gives the reader a concrete, seat-specific account of continuity and change. It also shows why a result story benefits from preserving both elections in the same record: the names, party outcome, scale of voting and distance between the top two can all change independently. For Lundra (ST), those certified figures are more informative than a generic label about whether the seat was “strong” or “weak” for any party.

A note on the result record

The figures in this report are preserved as an election result record: candidate totals, turnout, electorate, NOTA and the winning margin. They describe what was counted in 2023 and how that count compares with 2018. They do not assign motives to voters or convert aggregate constituency data into claims about particular communities, localities or demographic groups.

Election Mandi Analysis

The official record shows a measurable change between 2018 and 2023 in Lundra (ST). Prabodh Minj won in 2023 with 87,463 votes and a margin of 24,128; Dr. Pritam Ram had 63,335, while Alexander Kerketta polled 2,599. In 2018, Dr. Pritam Ram had won with 77,773 votes and Vijaynath Singh was second with 55,594. The evidence therefore supports a factual comparison of candidates, party outcome, vote totals and margins, without turning the result into a prediction about a future election.

 (FAQ)

Who won Lundra (ST) in 2023?

Prabodh Minj of the BJP won with 87,463 votes.

Who was runner-up?

Dr. Pritam Ram of the INC received 63,335 votes.

What was the winning margin?

24,128 votes.

Who finished third?

Alexander Kerketta with 2,599 votes.

What was turnout?

85.43%.

How many electors were registered?

193,902.

How many votes did NOTA receive?

2,906.

Who won in 2018?

Dr. Pritam Ram of the INC with 77,773 votes.

What was the 2018 margin?

22,179 votes.

Does the 2023 result predict the next election?

No. It is a historical result; any future election requires fresh evidence.

Sources

Primary: Election Commission of India, Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Election 2023 – Detailed Results, Constituency Data Summary and AC-wise Voters Information. Historical comparison: Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Chhattisgarh / ECI, Assembly Election 2018 statistical results.