The Election Commission's announcement today of the rescheduling of the Assembly polls in Punjab, which will now be held on February 20 instead of the original date of February 14, followed representations from the state government and all major political parties in the state that the polls be postponed in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti, which falls on February 16.
That all major political players made a beeline to seek a postponement of the state polls is testimony to the significance of the Ravidassia community, who are Dalits and followers of Guru Ravidas, in the keenly contested elections in which the Dalit vote is being appealed to by all parties.
Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, himself a Dalit and belonging to the Ramdassia community, had written to the Commission seeking a postponement of the polls. He wrote that he had received representations from members of the Scheduled Castes appealing for the election date to be changed in such a manner that they could participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Ravidas. He stated that members of the community were keen that they be able to visit Varanasi, the birthplace of the Guru, and also cast their votes upon their return.
Similar pleas were made by all the other prominent political players in the state, including the Shironani Akali Dal, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bhartiya Janata Party.
The development points to the significance of the sect in election season, especially since Punjab has a large Dalit vote share of 32 per cent, the highest in the country. Channi's appointment to the top post has been publicised by his party as evidence of its commitment to empower the Dalit community since he is the first Dalit chief minister of the state. The AAP has been making a concerted effort to woo Dalits and has been especially acerbic in its comments aimed at Channi. The Akali Dal too has tried to appeal to the Dalit voters and make a mark in the Dalit-dominated Doaba region of the state by tying up with Bahujan Samaj Party for the Assembly elections.
In the run up to elections, almost every important political leader has visited Dera Sachkhand Ballan, the biggest religious place of the Ravidassia sect, which is situated near Jalandhar and falls in the Doaba region. The sect has followers all across the world. Around 15 lakh followers of the sect are in Punjab, with a majority of them in Doaba.
