Congress eyeing 80 percent Dalit votes of BJP, preparing to make a dent in 160 seats

New Delhi’s. In the Lok Sabha elections to be held next year, the strategy of the Congress will be focused on the Dalit voters. Buoyed by the support of SC/ST voters in Karnataka, the party is now trying to reach out to Dalit voters in other states as well. After Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, the Congress can appoint state presidents from the Dalit community in some other states as well. Along with this, the party has also started a campaign to win the trust of Dalit voters.

According to the current figures, there are about 17 percent of Dalit community people in the country. 131 seats in the Lok Sabha are reserved for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST), however, Dalit voters influence about 160 seats. In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has got the support of SC/ST people. In 2014, the BJP got 17.7 per cent SC and 34.23 per cent ST votes. Whereas, in the year 2019, the BJP got 38.18 per cent SC and 42.16 per cent ST votes.

A senior Congress leader said that the role of Dalit voters in the Lok Sabha is very important. With Mallikarjun Kharge becoming the president, the party has got support from Dalit voters in Karnataka. There has been an increase of about 14 per cent in the Dalit vote of the Congress. He hoped that the Dalit voters would repose faith in the Congress in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections as well. For this, the party is also holding Dalit dialogues at the state level.

Congress strategists believe that Dalit voters are disillusioned with the BJP over the years. In such a situation, Congress can get the benefit of Kharge’s leadership and giving more stake to Dalit leaders in the organization. During the Raipur convention, the party had decided to give 50 per cent reservation to SC/ST, OBC and minorities at every level in the organization.

A party leader said that along with Dalit dialogue, the Congress is preparing to increase the participation of Dalit leaders in the organization as well. Soon its effect will be seen in the possible reshuffle. Congress strategists believe that it is necessary to reach out to every section and section of the society to win maximum seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, the party is paying special attention to the 131 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Result of reserved seats in Lok Sabha Elections 2019

BJP-77 (46 SC and 31 ST)

Congress-09 (05 SC & 04 ST)

Result of Reserved Seats in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections

BJP-67 (40 SC and 27 ST)

Congress-12 (07 SC and 05 ST)

Courtesy: Agniban

Note: This news piece was originally published in agniban.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights