GUWAHATI: The Indian government is reportedly set to launch the delayed nationwide census exercise in 2025, completing it by 2026.
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This marks a four-year delay from the original schedule, with the last census conducted in 2011. Following the completion of the census, the BJP-led government is expected to initiate the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, aiming to finish the process by 2028.
According to reports, the census may include specific surveys of sub-sects within the General and Scheduled Caste-Scheduled Tribe (SC-ST) categories, although no official framework for the upcoming census has been shared.
The Congress-led opposition has been actively advocating for a caste-based census, although the government has not confirmed whether this will be part of the exercise. Congress leader Manickam Tagore criticized the government’s stance, describing the absence of a caste census as a "betrayal" to Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Additionally, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also commented that reservation policies could be revisited if India becomes a more equitable society. We want the list of different communities,” he said. “For us, caste census is not just a census, it is a foundation for policy making.”
This ongoing debate on caste data collection reflects the decade-old complex political dynamics surrounding representation and reservation policies in India.