In Haryana, garnering Dalit support a challenging task for BJP

BJP in Haryana intensifies efforts to retain power by wooing Dalit vote bank amid electoral challenges.

As the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) continues to make extensive efforts to retain its decade-long power in Haryana, the party’s outreach to Dalits has been growing in an apparent bid to woo the crucial vote bank.

The Scheduled Castes (Dalits) account for over 20% of the State’s population, according to the 2011 Census, and with the BJP losing its electoral sheen in the reserved assembly segments of the State over the years, the path to gain their support and vote would certainly be not an easy task for the party.

Notably, the BJP, which came to power in 2014 in Haryana had then won nine of the 17 Assembly seats reserved for SCs, however, the number of seats for the BJP dropped to five in the 2019 Assembly polls, while the Congress though went up from four seats in 2014 to seven seats in 2019. 

In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Congress improved its vote share in the SC-reserved seats. A post-poll analysis by CSDS-Lok Niti pointed out that a majority of all Dalits in Haryana shifted from BJP-led National Democratic Alliance to Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up the party’s election campaign in the State in which he was seen dispelling fears of the Dalit community surrounding the reservation. At a rally in Kurukshetra, Mr. Modi while assuring the Dalits about “no intention of the BJP to end the reservation,” he blamed the Congress party of being the biggest opponent of Dalits, saying “The Congress has always opposed reservation… but Congress should listen carefully as long as Modi is here, I will not allow even an iota of the reservation given by Baba Saheb Ambedkar to be looted or taken away... this is Modi’s guarantee.” He added that the Congress was anti-Other Backward Classes and tribals as well.

Soon after the Prime Minister’s rally, the BJP leaders in their election campaign could be consistently seen focusing on the Dalit plank by raising their issues prominently in public rallies and events across the State.

However, political observers have reservations about their success. According to Ronki Ram, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chair Professor of Political Science at Panjab University, during the 2024 Lok Sabha election the narrative that the BJP could end the reservation worked against them. “The Lok Sabha elections were held only a few months ago, and the narrative that the BJP could end reservation during the poll campaign had gone deeply into the minds of SCs, which is difficult to undo at this stage. The BJP is making a desperate attempt but it would be difficult to regain the lost trust,” he said.