New Delhi — In a historic move on Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti, Nayab Singh Saini took the oath as the new Chief Minister of Haryana. A day later, in his first Cabinet meeting on October 18, Saini announced a major decision that is set to reshape Haryana’s political and social landscape. The Haryana government declared the segregation of the Scheduled Caste (SC) reservation into two categories, allocating 10 percent of the SC reservation specifically for Deprived Scheduled Castes (DSC). The DSC category includes 36 communities such as Valmiki (Balmiki), Bazigar, Sansi, Deha, Dhanak, and Sapera.

Chief Minister Saini emphasized that this move reflects BJP’s commitment to "Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas," catering to pro-poor, pro-farmer, and pro-rural communities, a vision first laid out by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.

The results of the 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly elections surprised political scientists and experts alike. SC voters played a pivotal role, with all major parties, including the Indian National Congress (INC), BJP, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), vying for their support. Additionally, Dalit-centric parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Azad Samaj Party (ASP) worked hard to capture SC votes.

Reservation, always a central issue for Dalits, gained even more significance on August 1, 2024, when the Supreme Court's Constitution Bench ruled in favor of sub-classifying SCs and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to ensure that quota benefits reach the most backward castes within these groups. This verdict, which also advocated for excluding the creamy layer from SC/ST benefits, overturned a 2004 ruling (EV Chinnaiah vs. State of Andhra Pradesh) that had treated SCs as a homogeneous group. The majority of justices backed this sub-classification, though Justice Bela M. Trivedi dissented.

This decision sparked debates within the Dalit community, with some supporting it and others expressing concern. The complex nature of the caste system, particularly in Haryana, has created divisions between Other Scheduled Castes (OSC) and Deprived Scheduled Castes (DSC) for years. While the Haryana government had previously implemented separate reservations for these groups in education, DSCs had long been demanding similar provisions in government jobs.

Ahead of the elections, Chief Minister Saini announced the state's approval of the Haryana Scheduled Caste Commission Report on August 17, 2024, promising that 10 percent of the SC quota in government jobs would be allocated to DSCs. However, the implementation of this ruling was delayed until after the elections due to the Model Code of Conduct. Nevertheless, the promise attracted significant DSC support for the BJP.

Voter Turnout and DSC’s Role

According to Dr Krishan Kumar, a scholar in dalit and marginalised studies, despite campaigns encouraging voter participation, Haryana's 2024 election turnout was 67.9%, slightly lower than the 68.2% in 2019. However, key constituencies like Ellenabad saw a high turnout of 80.61%, where Bharat Singh Beniwal of the INC defeated Abhay Chautala of INLD by a margin of 15,000 votes.

"Scheduled Castes (SCs) make up 22.50% of the electorate in Haryana, divided into 8.50% OSC (Other Scheduled Castes) and 14% DSC (Deprived Scheduled Castes). Historically, Balmikis (DSC) and Chamars (OSC) have aligned with different political parties. Family ID data reveals 33,74,264 DSCs and 30,64,684 OSCs" Krishan Kumar stated.

In the 2024 elections, the BJP secured 39.94% of the vote, while INC garnered 39.09%, with a margin of only 0.85%. This narrow difference highlighted the crucial role of DSC votes, as BJP won 48 seats, while INC won 37, and INLD secured just two.