BR Ambedkar got thumbs down from voters

LUCKNOW: Architect of India’s Constitution – Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar may have given a number of Constitutional privileges to the people of India. But, when it comes to the electoral arena, most of the family members of Ambedkar (barring his grandson Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar) have got thumbs down from the voters. The family members contested elections right from the first general elections held in 1951 to the last one held in 2014, but it was only twice that any member of the Ambedkar family entered the Lok Sabha.
As per the official data of the Election Commission of India, it was in the 12th and 13th general elections that Prakash Ambedkar emerged as the winner from Akola parliamentary constituency (located in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region).In 1998, Prakash contested on the Republican Party of India ticket, while in 1999, he emerged as the winner while contesting on the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) ticket.
In the parliamentary elections held in 2004, 2009 and 2014, electoral decline was clearly evident, as Prakash Ambedkar secured third or below third spot from Akola constituency, while contesting on a BBM ticket. However, 1996 was slightly better for Prakash, as he finished as the runner-up (on RPI ticket), while securing 33.19% votes.
In 1991, Prakash, while contesting on BRP (Bharatiya Republican Paksha) ticket bagged 26.59% of the votes polled and stood third (from Akola). Similar results were also witnessed during the 1989 Lok Sabha elections in which Prakash secured 20.13% of the votes polled.
The parliamentary elections held in 1984 were quite special for the Ambedkar family, as Prakash contested from two parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra (Akola and Bombay North-East), while his grandmother Savita challenged the supremacy of the Nehru-Gandhi family in Rae Bareli. Prakash managed to secure the fourth spot in Bombay North-East (7.74% votes), while in Akola he was the runner-up (32.17% votes). 1984 also saw Ambedkar’s wife – Savita contesting from Rae Bareli on Lok Dal ticket against Arun Nehru of the Congress. She could muster only 12.6% of the votes, while Arun Nehru bagged 70.07% of the votes.
Prior to this, in 1977, Ambedkar’s son – Yeshwant Bhimrao Ambedkar fought as an independent candidate and managed to get only 5.45% of the votes, while finishing third. In 1971, Yeshwant contested from parliamentary constituencies of Bombay North-East and Nanded on RPK (Republican Party of India -- Khobragade) ticket. In Bombay North-East, Yeshwant was placed at 5th spot (2.18% votes), while in Nanded, he secured the second spot with 25.60% votes.
In the general elections held in 1962, Yashwantrao Bhimrao Ambedkar contested from Kopargaon in Maharashtra and Hoshiarpur in Punjab (on Republican Party - REP). In both the constituencies, he secured the second spot. In Kopargaon, Yashwantrao’s votes share was 24.33%, while in Hoshiarpur, it was 38.45%.
The only parliamentary election in which BR Ambedlkar himself contested was first general elections held in 1951 from Bombay City North of SCF (All India Scheduled Castes Federation) ticket, and was placed 4th bagging 17.26% of the votes.