According to information the Central government is expected to initiate the long-awaited census exercise in 2025, with completion projected by 2026. This census will take place after a delay of four years and is crucial for accurately counting the nation’s population.
Following the census, the BJP-led government plans to embark on a delimitation exercise for Lok Sabha seats, which is anticipated to conclude by 2028. This delimitation will reallocate parliamentary representation based on the latest population data.
Amid these developments, the Congress-led opposition continues to advocate for a caste-based census. While the specifics of the upcoming census have yet to be disclosed, there are indications that it may include detailed surveys of sub-sects within the General, Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories. Additionally, it is expected to document the numbers of individuals in these various classifications.
Congress leader Manickam Tagore criticized the government’s stance, asserting that the refusal to conduct a caste-based census represents a significant betrayal of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities. He expressed this sentiment on social media, questioning the silence of other political parties, including the RSS, JD(U), and TDP, in the face of demands for greater representation.
In a recent interaction at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Rahul Gandhi emphasized the Congress party’s commitment to considering the scrapping of reservations once India becomes a “fair place.” He reiterated the necessity of a caste census, highlighting that approximately 90 percent of the population—including OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis—lacks adequate representation.
Gandhi characterized the caste census as a straightforward measure to evaluate the participation and representation of lower castes, backward classes, and Dalits in the country. As the government prepares for the census, the call for transparency and inclusivity in the process is becoming increasingly prominent, with various stakeholders urging a comprehensive approach to data collection that reflects the diverse demographics of India.
