Karnataka elections: The Dalit factor that none can ignore

The controversial caste census which has not been made public does have every political party in Karnataka worried. With the alleged caste census data which was leaked showing that Dalits constitute 18 per cent of the electorate, none of the political parties is taking anything to chance.

Out of the 224 constituencies in Karnataka, 36 are reserved for SCs. Moreover, in the past, it has been seen that the Dalits can have an influence in at least 60 constituencies in the state, which itself is a mammoth number.

The Congress and the BJP are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that they are able to pocket a chunk of the Dalit votes. There would rallies across the state by both parties to woo the Dalits.

The SC/STs constitute 24 per cent of the population. The SCs are however larger in number. The Congress will host an SC/ST rally in Ballari which would see the participation of Congress president, Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP, on the other hand, is conducting a series of rallies in Mysuru, Bengaluru, Davangere, Kalaburgi, Hubbali and Kolar in February.

The president of the BJP's SC morcha cell, D Veeraiah informed OneIndia that there would be a series of rallies and national leaders would take part in it.

The JD(S) too would bank on this issue. It has planned on raising local issues to woo the Dalits in the state.

The BJP and the Congress would, however, battle it out on both local and national issues. The Congress would bring up the Bhima Koregaon violence in Maharashtra which is a BJP ruled state.

The BJP, on the other hand, would speak about the unspent funds for Dalits. The BJP says that out of the Rs 86,000 crore which was promised for Dalits, 70 per cent remains unspent. Further, the BJP cites the non-implementation of the Justice A J Sadashiva Commission report on the internal reservation and says that the Congress has failed to implement it. The BJP would also rake up issues of corruption in the various welfare schemes announced for Dalits in the state.

OneIndia News