Politics Of Enumeration: BJP's Caste Census U-Turn And Its Electoral Stakes

India will simultaneously conduct its population and caste census from March 1, 2027.

Source : Unsplash

In July 2021, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stood in Parliament and delivered what was then a definitive policy line: the Government of India would not conduct a caste-wise enumeration in the upcoming Census, except for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Barely four years later, the same government has taken a U-turn, announcing that a caste census will be conducted alongside the delayed population census. India will conduct its population and caste census