Ahead of the Assembly and Parliament elections, which will be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh later this year, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy unveiled a 125-foot statue of Dr B R Ambedkar at the Swaraj Maidan in Vijayawada on Friday, in what could be a bid to ensure the support of the Scheduled Caste (SC) population in the state.

Last April, the then Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government had inaugurated a similar 125-foot tall statue in Hyderabad, though that hardly secured the party’s fortunes, with the Congress coming to power in the Assembly elections.

The YSRCP government, which claims its statue to be the tallest of Ambedkar in the country, has taken several other initiatives aimed at Dalit voters. On Friday, the state also began its own caste survey amid Opposition calls for a nationwide caste census.

The SC community makes up 19% of Andhra Pradesh’s population. The Vijayawada structure has been christened by the government as the ‘Statue of Social Justice’.

In the May 2019 elections, Dalit support had been crucial to the YSRCP coming to power, winning 151 Assembly seats.

With the alliance of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party hitting the ground to dislodge Jagan, and his sister Y S Sharmila set to shake up state politics as the head of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, the YSRCP is leaving nothing to chance.

Quoting statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau, the TDP recently launched a stinging criticism of the YSRCP, claiming Dalits were being attacked by forward caste YSRCP supporters.

“Jagan is the torch-bearer of Dalit rights. No leader or CM has done so much for the welfare of SCs, STs, BCs and minorities as has Jagan. The Ambedkar statue is a beacon of empowerment of Dalits and other minorities. The TDP and (former CM) Chandrababu Naidu only used Dalits for votes and never respected the Dalits. Naidu’s criticism of the statue, because it cost Rs 404 crore, proves he is anti-Dalit. Jagan is empowering the Dalits with many welfare schemes and helping them realise their dreams,’’ D Merugu Nagarjuna, the state Social Welfare Minister, says.

A majority of the Dalit population in Andhra Pradesh – primarily Madigas and Malas – are also covered under numerous welfare schemes of the YSRCP government.

In his message ahead of the unveiling, though Jagan did not directly refer to the SCs, he mentioned the ‘Navaratnalu’ schemes – a collection of nine welfare initiatives promised in the run-up to the 2019 Assembly polls.

“This towering statue reflects Ambedkar’s immense contribution to India’s social, economic, political and gender landscapes. Even a century later, his visionary words echo, steering the nation towards progress. Recognising his enduring principles, our government has woven them into our ‘Navaratnalu’ initiatives. Join us in celebrating this momentous occasion and recommitting to Ambedkar’s legacy of equality and justice,” Jagan said.

Earlier, in June 2022, the state government had renamed the newly created Konaseema district as Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district.

Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, had unveiled the Ambedkar statue in April 2023, months ahead of the state Assembly polls, in the presence of Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar. Dalits from all the 119 Assembly constituencies were invited and attended the event.

However, while the statue attracted many visitors, it did not appear to sway the public sentiment as the BRS lost in the Assembly elections held last November. There were indications that the Dalit voters in rural constituencies had ditched the BRS over several issues, including unhappiness with the financial assistance under the Dalit Bandhu scheme, and shifted loyalties to the Congress.

The KCR government too had reached out to the Dalits, which account for 18-19% of Telangana’s population, through several other measures as well. In 2022, it had named the new Secretariat building in Hyderabad after Ambedkar.

“The Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad was a message to the Dalits that they are not neglected, and that the BRS holds Ambedkar in high regard and respects his ideals. It was not a political statement,” claims Koppula Eashwar, the former BRS Welfare Minister .

The YSRCP government began constructing its Ambedkar statue in December 2021 through the state’s Social Welfare Department and the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation. The 125-foot tall statue, designed by sculptor Naresh Kumawat, was built at a cost of Rs 404 crore.

Work on the Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad, built on the banks of the Hussain Sagar Lake, started in September 2021. The statue was built at a stated cost of Rs 147 crore and designed by renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, a recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards, and his son Anil Ram Sutar.