Ambedkar’s Legacy, Dalit Votes and Delhi Polls: Who is benefitting?

By: Team CVoter

The controversy will likely have an impact on the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections in February 2025. Overall, 26.5% respondents believe it will benefit the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the ruling party in Delhi, while 22% think it will benefit the BJP, and 15.9% believe Congress will gain.

CVoter Snap Poll asked citizens which party is likely to gain the most from the controversy over Dr. Ambedkar's legacy. Overall, 31.3% believe the opposition INDIA Bloc, led by Congress, will benefit most, but only narrowly ahead of 30.4% who see the ruling NDA, led by BJP, as the primary gainer.

Among INDIA Bloc supporters, 37.1% expect their side to gain, compared to 22.3% favoring the BJP-led NDA. Conversely, 39.2% of NDA supporters view their coalition as the key beneficiary.

This debate underscores political efforts to claim Dr. Ambedkar's legacy, a revered figure in India’s socio-political history, particularly among Dalits. Both blocs aim to secure the support of marginalized communities, but the public remains divided on which coalition will successfully leverage the issue.

The controversy will likely have an impact on the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections in February 2025. Overall, 26.5% respondents believe it will benefit the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the ruling party in Delhi, while 22% think it will benefit the BJP, and 15.9% believe Congress will gain. Notably, 25.1% feel the controversy will have no significant impact.

The survey also enquired about Dalit support for the BJP in the context of the Ambedkar remarks controversy. Overall, 43% believe Dalit voters who currently support the BJP will desert the party, while 30% think some may shift but most will remain with the BJP. Only 18% feel Dalit voters will continue supporting the BJP, and 9% are uncertain.

AAP appears to be viewed as the primary beneficiary due to its social welfare agenda and efforts to align with Ambedkar’s ideology. However, BJP supporters express confidence in their party's appeal. The BJP’s outreach to Dalit communities could face challenges if these sentiments translate into electoral shifts.

The CVoter Snap Poll was done through CATI interviews among 18+ adults nationwide. The data is weighted to the known demographic profile as per the census and final ECI results. The sample spread is across all districts covering all States. MoE is +/- 3% at macro level and +/- 5% at micro level trends with 95% Confidence interval.