Karnataka Government To Conduct Fresh Caste Survey Amid Concerns Over Previous Report

Bringing an end to weeks of uncertainty, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday (10 June) announced that the state government will undertake a fresh caste survey, addressing mounting concerns over the previous enumeration, The New Indian Express reported.

The decision follows a meeting in New Delhi where Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar consulted with senior Congress leaders, including Party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and KC Venugopal, at the party’s new headquarters.

The meeting also touched upon the recent 4 June stampede in Bengaluru, among other pressing matters.

“At the meeting, the leadership said the report submitted on the caste census has been accepted in principle. However, concerns were raised by some organisations, religious heads, and a few ministers as the last survey was conducted in 2015. So we have agreed to hold a fresh caste enumeration," Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying by TNIE.

He confirmed the survey will be completed within 90 days.

The move comes ahead of the 12 June state Cabinet meeting, where the contentious social and educational survey report, released in April, is expected to be further deliberated.

Despite being discussed in three previous Cabinet meetings, consensus had remained elusive.

Shivakumar added that the new survey aims to restore public confidence in the data.

“Data will be collected through door to door and online surveys. The process would be done in a very transparent manner. We will correct all concerns expressed about the previous caste census,” he said.

He added that an online option would enable inclusion of Karnataka residents living outside the state.

The earlier report estimated backward classes at 70 per cent of the population, with Lingayats at 11 per cent and Vokkaligas at 10.29 per cent, triggering backlash from these influential communities over alleged underrepresentation.

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