While there was a close fight between the AIADMK and DMK for the general seats, the reserved (SC/ST) constituencies clearly went the former’s way. In the 44 constituencies reserved for the scheduled caste in the State, the AIADMK bagged 30 and the DMK 14. Both the major Dalit parties have drawn a blank with VCK founder Thol. Thirumavalavan and Puthiya Tamilagam leader K. Krishnaswamy losing by a narrow margin. Another Dalit leader and retired civil servant Sivagami, who contested on the DMK’s ‘Rising Sun’ symbol, also lost.
In many of the reserved seats in the northern districts, the PMK has done much better than the VCK, the dominant Dalit party of the region.
For example, in Vanur where the VCK fielded its general secretary D. Ravikumar, the PMK candidate polled 27,242 votes against the 23,873 votes secured by the former. In all, the PMK attracted more votes than the third front, of which the VCK was a constituent, in 16 of the 44 reserved (SC) constituencies.
The PT found the going tough against the AIADMK in the four constituencies it contested. In Krishnarayapuram , Srivilliputhur and Vasudevanallur, the party candidates lost by 35,301, 36,673 and 18,758 votes respectively. It was in Ottapidaram that Mr. Krishnaswamy gave the AIADMK a tough fight, losing by a mere 493 votes. Given its restricted presence, the PMK has fared poorly in constituencies in the South, getting less than 1,000 votes in many of them.
Even in 2011, the AIADMK alliance cornered a lion’s share of the reserved seats, begging the question what makes it click among the Dalit voters. One explanation is that even though the seats have been categorised as reserved, the OBCs still hold a lot of clout in these constituencies. Also, with large-scale support from the Thevars and Vellala Gounders this election, the AIADMK has managed to win most of the reserved seats in the South and the West. The DMK map shows more wins in the North and central region.
“As a movement, we [VCK] are far behind the AIADMK as far as reaching out to Dalit women is concerned. This is one area we need to focus,” Mr. Ravikumar points out. Mr. Ravikumar also contends that just because a seat is reserved, it does not mean Dalits are in majority. “Cheyyur has the largest Dalit voter population and even there it is only 44 per cent,” he states.
Lakshmanan, Associate Professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, says the fact that the PMK has polled more than the VCK in a few reserved seats in the northern districts was a worrying trend for the Dalit parties. “It shows that the Dalit outfits have not been able to convince the community voter that they could fight for their rights more vocally. While some of the more educated may have turned to these parties, large numbers of Dalits still vote the Dravidian parties,” he points out.
Mr. Lakshmanan says he does not find much utility in the very concept of reserved seats. “In the DMK and the AIADMK, we see that Dalit MLAs have very little say. Actual power still eludes them as the parties are dominated by OBCs. I feel if the reserved seats are done away with, it could pave the way for a more united Dalit political movement,” he adds.
‘Dalit outfits are unable to convince voters that can plead their case more effectively than others’
