This week witnessed the death anniversary of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar was one of the strong pillars in our freedom movement and a strong proponent of Dalit and Hindu rights. Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar first Lok Sabha election in 1952 from the then Bombay City North from Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar of the Congress party. He was personal assistant to Ambedkar before contesting against him. Narayan Kajrolkar was a milk businessman and was a novice in politics.
Now leaders from most of the opposition parties including are against the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). When these opposition parties lose elections, they start accusing of electoral fraud, but these people never tell that in the first general election of the country in 1952, how Nehru’s Congress in collusion with the Communist Party had dishonestly defeated Baba Saheb in the election. Dr. Ambedkar was the first victim of fraud in the history of Indian elections and Nehru’s Congress and the Leftists were accused of colluding to defeat him. Dr. Ambedkar had formed his own political outfit Scheduled Castes Federation and contested from Bombay North Central seat.
To defeat him, Nehru’s Congress Party and Communist Party joined hands. Senior leader of Communist Party Shripad Amrit Dange distributed pamphlets in which Dr. Ambedkar was openly called a traitor. Pamphlets were distributed at various places and this is the same Shripad Amrit Dange who later became the general secretary of the CPI. As far as the result of the seat in 1952 was concerned there were allegations of massive rigging in the election. Dr. Ambedkar lost the election by about 14537 votes and it was most surprising that in these elections. On the seat 74333 votes were cancelled.
This electoral defeat of Dr. Ambedkar in 1952 has been described in detail by writer Dhananjay Keer. Dhananjay Keer was also awarded with the Padma Bhushan. Dhananjay Keer in his book Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jeevan Charitra he mentioned all these happenings in detail. This book is considered to be one of the most authentic books written on Dr. Ambedkar and Dr. Ambedkar himself had approved this book. In this book Dhananjay Keer mentioned how the Congress and Communist parties conspired against Dr. Ambedkar. A report by news agency PTI on January 5, 1952, quoted Dr. Ambedkar as saying – “How the overwhelming support of the people of Bombay could have been so badly denied is, in fact, a matter for investigation by the Election Commissioner.” Dhananjay Keer also wrote that after his electoral defeat, Dr. Ambedkar had said in his statement that the people of Mumbai had given me such a huge support but how did it get wasted? The Election Commissioner should investigate this. Not only Dr.Ambedkar himself but socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan said in his statement that like Dr. Ambedkar, I too have doubts about this election outcome. Dr Ambedkar believed that he lost because of the conspiracy of communist leader Sripad Amrita Dange. This has been written by Dhananjay Keer and it is considered the most authentic book on Dr. Ambedkar.
And it is not that Baba Saheb remained silent on the conspiracies against him. He filed a case in the court against this electoral fraud. It is surprising that the ecosystem of leftists and Congressmen who tell every small and big thing about Dr. Ambedkar never discusses the fact that Baba Saheb Ambedkar was the first victim of electoral fraud in this country. Dr. Ambedkar was the first person who had filed a case in the court on the electoral fraud
This was the ecosystem of Congress and leftists at that time also which defeated Dr. Ambedkar and now it is even more painful. As per Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s wife Dr. Savita Ambedkar after losing the election, Baba Saheb Ambedkar suffered a deep shock. He became very ill. His health started deteriorating rapidly. After the electoral defeat of Dr. Ambedkar in 1952, Dr. Savita Ambedkar sent a letter to one of his close friends Kamalkant Chitre in which she pointed out that politics is the life of Doctor Saheb and it is the power booster for his mental and physical health.
Two years later in 1954, in the by-elections in Bhandara, Maharashtra, Dr. Ambedkar once again contested the election and this time also the Congress put all its might only to defeat Baba Saheb Ambedkar. This time again the Congress party was able to defeat Dr.Ambedkar by 8000 votes. First Mumbai and then Bhandara, two electoral defeats within 2 years shocked Dr. Ambedkar and after the defeat in Bhandara, he started falling ill even more and finally died on December 6, 1956.
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