Analysis | Playing SC card unlikely to be game changer for Congress

As SCs in the State are not a homogenous bloc, the party may only retain its traditional SC vote bank

Ahead of the 2022 Assembly election, the Congress party has attempted an electoral strike by selecting a Scheduled Caste (SC) Sikh Chief Minister, , in Punjab, which has the highest percentage of SC population among the States, at close to 32%. However, the impact of this decision on the party’s electoral prospects is unlikely to be a game changer.

In Punjab, the SC community has traditionally been the Congress party’s vote bank, apart from Hindu voters and Jat (farmers) Sikhs. The SAD is a ‘Panthic’ party of the Sikhs and also garners support from Jat Sikhs voters. In the 2017 Assembly election in the Doaba region, which is largely SC dominated, the Congress party won as many as 15 seats of the 23, which is indicative of the Congress’s hold in the SC belt. So, garnering more support may not be an easy task although the party is likely to retain its vote bank following Mr. Channi’s elevation.

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