This article challenges the traditional view that Dalits† gave up their right to representation when Ambedkar signed the Poona Pact and agreed to joint electorates, which allowed caste Hindus to elect ‘failed’ Dalit candidates of the primaries in the final polls. The article shows that upper-caste Hindus cast their votes for the same Dalit candidates in the final elections who received the highest Dalit votes in the primaries through an examination of the provincial elections in 1936−1937 and 1945−1946. The article argues that Dalit candidates elected either through joint or separate electorates cannot necessarily guarantee the autonomy of Dalit representatives. It contends that only Dalit legislators having the epistemic aspect emphasised by Ambedkar and the empathetic character underlined by Gandhi can be preferable representatives of Dalit interests.
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