DALIT VOTES MAY SPLIT BETWEEN AAP, BJP, CONG

AAP faces disillusionment over unmet promises on manual scavenging and municipal labor issues.

- TDG NETWORK NEW DELHI

As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) battles to protect its main turf, the Dalit voters of Delhi are in focus in the upcoming Assembly polls in the capital, with both the Congress and BJP challenging the ruling party, leading to the possibility of a split in the Dalit votes between the three parties, experts say. Kejriwal, whose AAP is eyeing a third straight term in power in Delhi, has enjoyed the support of the Dalit voters in the past, even as the experts say that some disillusion-ment has crept in.

On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come up with a slew of promises for the Dalits and is holding extensive reach-out programmes in Dalit-majority constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks in the Rajya Sabha on BR Ambedkar, which had triggered a sharp attack from opposition parties, including the AAP and Congress, added fuel to the war of narratives ahead of the February 5 polls. However, the BJP has countered it aggressively.