Ambedkar’s Re-entry into Politics: 23% say it is to win Dalit Votes

By: Team CVoter

34% of INDIA+ supporters believe Shah's remarks were taken out of context whereas NDA+ supporters predominantly (43.6%) agree that the remarks were taken out of context, with only 10.9% labelling them derogatory.

In the last few years, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar appears to have risen from the political dead as political parties across the board have made attempts to appropriate his legacy, primarily directed towards appeasing the Dalit vote bank. More recently, Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments on the leader, commonly referred to as the architect of Indian Constitution have evoked Ambedkar back into the political battlefield. CVoter conducted a snap poll to understand what people think about the most recent controversy.

The survey data reveals polarized opinions across political alliances regarding Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Among INDIA+ supporters, 46.1% find the comments derogatory and demand an apology, however, more than one thirds (34%) believe the remarks were taken out of context. In contrast, NDA+ supporters predominantly (43.6%) agree that the remarks were taken out of context, with only 10.9% labelling them derogatory.

OTH+ respondents are divided, with 30.2% criticizing the remarks and 27.9% stating they were misinterpreted. Notably, 24.8% of NDA+ supporters believe the opposition is politicizing the issue, compared to 9.2% from INDIA+ and 20.7% from OTH+.

Overall, NDA+ supporters largely dismiss the criticism, while INDIA+ and OTH+ respondents are more likely to view the remarks negatively.

The survey also found that atleast one-thirds of the public believes Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s mention was to address caste discrimination and inequality, with INDIA+ supporters showing the highest agreement (35.5%).

However, nearly one-fourth of those surveyed saw it was as a strategy to win over Dalit votes, particularly resonating with NDA+ (25.9%) and OTH+ (25.1%) supporters. Highlighting Ambedkar's role in drafting the Constitution is the reason for 16% overall. A smaller segment (13.8%) perceives leaders as using Ambedkar's ideas to address current issues, with OTH+ (17.3%) and NDA+ (15.2%) showing greater belief in this intention

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.