Dalit Versus Dalit Race For Presidency

The stage is all set for a Dalit versus Dalit contest in the 2017 presidential race. The BJP-led Modi government has already named its pick - Ram Nath Kovind who is a Kori Dalit by caste. The Opposition camp, led by the Congress, is meeting this evening to formalise and announce its choice for the office of President of India.

All indications point towards a Dalit nominee from the Opposition camp taking on Kovind.

Four Dalit names are doing the rounds in this context and they are former speaker and Bihar Congress leader Meira Kumar, senior Congress leader from Maharashtra Sushil Kumar Shinde, Babasaheb Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar and former Bombay University Vice-Chancellor Balachandra Mungekar.

Meira Kumar is said to have an edge over all other names under discussion in the Opposition camp. Kumar is the daughter of late Jagjivan Ram, one of the first Dalits to be included in the post-Independence Jawaharlal Nehru government.

Babu Jagjivan Ram, as he was endearingly addressed by his followers, was a stalwart in the days of the freedom struggle and was also the Dalit face of the Congress party for a long time.

Meira Kumar is a Dalit who joined the Congress at Rajiv Gandhi’s call. Quitting her prestigious and cosy job in the country’s foreign service in 1980s, she contested Lok Sabha elections from Bihar and won it.

Kumar had been a minister in two Congress-led governments headed by Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao. She was Sonia Gandhi’s choice for the office of the Lok Sabha Speaker during the UPA’s rule at the Centre.

The Opposition parties led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi are meeting at her residence to formalise their choice for the next President. The Congress, along with the Left parties and Trinamool Congress, have taken the decision to put up a fight against BJP nominee Kovind who is sure of winning the contest.

The Samajwadi Party is split between Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav on this issue. Mulayam has already lent his support to Kovind. But Akhilesh is said to be ready to go along with the joint Opposition camp.

The contest will be token only as the NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind already has overwhelming numbers with him. Apart from the NDA parties, he also enjoys the support of the JD(U), the BSP, the AIADMK, the TRS and some other small Opposition parties like the Janata Dal (S).

The BJP tried to give the 2017 presidential election a Dalit twist. The Opposition camp is ready to take them on.