In caste-ridden India, the `untouchables' vote touches everything except their own plight (AP article via San Francisco Gate).

The Dalits hope that the new goverment with its wide base will make a difference in their lives.

The article points out that the Dalits that convert to Islam or Christianity to escape prejudice find that it exists everywhere. Higher caste Christians belittle new Dalit converts and so on.

The write found that in some parts of Uttar Pradesh some Dalits have effected a social revolution of sorts. Instead of being led in Hinduism by a Brahman, they have devised their own religious text, or "Patra," to be read at religious ceremonies. This could be a the start of a movement that eliminates the relgious discrimination against Dalits.