Dalit voters can tilt scales in Bathinda (Urban)

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 16

Dalit voters can play a crucial role in the election for the Bathinda (Urban) seat as their population is around 25 per cent in the city.

Though Dalits are scattered all over the city, there are a few pockets such as Sanjay Nagar, Bangi Nagar, Gurunanakpura, Janta Nagar, Dhobiana Basti, Ambedkar Nagar, Lal Singh Basti, Railway colony and Chandsar Basti that have most number of voters from this community.

As per an estimated figure, out of 2.14 lakh voters in the city, there are around 50,000 votes of Dalits.

All parties and candidates are leaving no stone unturned to woo members of this community just before the elections.

The SAD-BJP government has passed a resolution to recruit 328 new sanitation workers.

The Congress has announced that after coming to power, they would give free houses or 5 marla plots with financial assistance of Rs one lakh to homeless SCs and has declared many other schemes for the community.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have also claimed that various welfare schemes for the Dalits would be launched in the state after they come to power. AAP has also launched a separate manifesto for Dalits.

The city also has around 15 per cent voters belonging to backward classes while there are 10 per cent migrant voters.

A political expert claims, “Much of the result depends on their votes. Dalits are aware of their voting rights and they prefer to go by their own judgment.”

Senior deputy mayor Tarsem Goyal said the city has considerable number of Dalit voters, who could be a deciding factor in winning the elections. He claimed that BJP had a good rapport with Dalits.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) secretary Arun Wadhawan said Dalits could play a key role in the Assembly elections. They are irked with the SAD-BJP government due to their wrong policies and are supporting the Congress, he added.

AAP candidate Deepak Bansal said Dalits would surely play a decisive role on this seat and AAP was the only party that had announced that the deputy chief minister would be from the Dalit community if it came to power.