Significantly, the Congress recently released its dalit manifesto with promise to implement it with Mrs Shiela Dixit as CM if party is voted to power in the state early next year.

The Congress has promised free education and free housing facilities to dalits in order to win over dalit community which plays a very important role in government formation in the state.

With its presence of 21 per cent of total population in UP, all major political parties are now busy in formulating policies and programmes to win over the community to grab power in the state.

Congress manifesto has promised free education to dalits from KG to PG and government will make direct payment to bear all educational expenses of all dalit students.

Congress has also launched 50 days “ Shiksha suraksha and swabhiman “yatra which would touch 5000 villages of all the 85 reserved constituencies in the state.

As per the dalit manifesto, Congress has promised to set up one residential schools in all the 851 blocks of the state.

In order to provide the much needed security to dalits, Congress has promised to post Suraksha Mitra in each police station who would report directly to district magistrate and to the nodal officer to be posted in CM office.

Congress has promised vikas mitra to help dalits to take benefit of all the development schemes of central and state government.

Keeping health issue in mind, Congress has also promised assistance of Rs 2 lakh to each dalit in government and private hospital.

Providing jobs would be the main focus of Congress for dalits and if voted to power, the government will provide Rs 3 lakh as bank loan to dalit youth for self employment.

Congress is also making preparation for a dalit conclave in Lucknow scheduled for January 10 which would be addressed by AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi and attended by prominent dalit leaders and workers from all over the state. As a follow up, Lucknow declaration would also be adopted to focus party’s strategy for Mission 2017.

It would be worth mentioning here that Rahul Gandhi had earlier attended one-day dalit workshop in Lucknow at party headquarters where he listened to dalit leaders from all over the state .He promised to build dalit leadership at village level.

It may be noted that dalits had been traditionally vote bank of Congress Party but after 1989, Bahujan Samaj Party under the leadership of Kanshiram was able to make inroads in the dalit community and increased its tally from 13 in two assembly polls to 67 in 1993 when party contested in alliance with Samajwadi Party.

Thrice BSP leader Mayawati became Chief Minister with the help of BJP but came to power on its own in 2007. BSP suffered set back in 2012 when it lost to Samajwadi Party and again in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the party could not open account and there wasa shift of dalit voters for BJP as well.

Now it is to be seen as to how Congress is able to wean away dalits from BSP and increase the vote share of the party to get more seats in UP Assembly.(IPA Service)