Congress plans to tap Dalit vote by honouring Kanshi Ram

In preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party is making an assertive move to regain its lost support from the Dalit community in Uttar Pradesh (UP). They have announced plans to commemorate the anniversary of Dalit leader Kanshi Ram on October 9th. Termed as the “Dalit Gaurav Samvad” campaign, Congress aims to re-establish its legacy with the Dalit community.

Historically, Congress had a stronghold on the Dalit vote bank. However, with the rise of Kanshi Ram’s campaigns and the ascent of the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party), these votes gradually shifted away from Congress. Now, following the BSP’s trend, Congress has also decided to honour Kanshi Ram’s death anniversary.

The campaign will be launched with a series of dialogues in Dalit communities and an aim to fill one lakh Dalit rights forms. It will continue till November 26th, Constitution Day, and will involve the participation of professionals such as doctors, engineers, and teachers.

Congress plans to promote Kanshi Ram’s messages and pay tribute to him throughout the campaign. UP Congress President Ajay Rai believes that once the Dalit community wholeheartedly supports Congress, the BJP will be pushed out of power both in the state and the centre.

Congress’ outreach efforts emphasise that they have always been the true home for Dalits, with a history of crafting policies keeping the welfare of the Dalit community in mind. The theme for the Dalit Gaurav Samvad is “Pride through the Constitution.”

Activities during this campaign will include night meetings in Dalit neighbourhoods, collection of mobile numbers for outreach, and discussions on how the BJP government has allegedly stripped rights from the Dalit community.

There will be a “Dalit Gaurav Yatra” in 18 district headquarters, group discussions on the Dalit agenda, the formation of core groups, volunteer training, and setting up Dalit control rooms. Many senior leaders of the Congress party are expected to participate, with speculations that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will also be involved.

In UP, a significant portion of the Lok Sabha seats have a majority of Dalit voters, who traditionally have been considered the vote bank of the BSP. In recent elections, however, the BJP made inroads into this vote bank. Congress hopes to engage in dialogue with the Dalit community to swing this vote bank back in their favour.

The party had previously launched a similar campaign called “Jai Jawahar Jai Bhim,” where leaders presented portraits of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru to the people in Dalit neighbourhoods. About 22% of UP’s population consists of Dalits, and of the state’s 80 Lok Sabha constituencies, 17 are reserved for the Scheduled Castes. In the 2019 elections, 15 of these seats went to the BJP.