Karnataka cabinet to finally take up long-delayed caste census report on Friday: Report

After years of political hesitancy and delay, the Karnataka cabinet is set to discuss the long-pending Socioeconomic and Education Survey report—popularly known as the state’s caste census, on Friday.

According to a report by Indian Express, the Chief Minister’s Office and the Law Department confirmed that the report, which has remained sealed for over a year since being submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has finally been listed for cabinet discussion.

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The report was prepared by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes and handed over to the CM in 2023. However, it has not yet been made public. The Congress government’s decision to finally act on the report comes amid a broader political strategy to strengthen its outreach to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), a segment that makes up a significant portion of Karnataka’s electorate.

At a recent Congress Working Committee meeting in Ahmedabad, senior leader Rahul Gandhi reportedly urged state units to prioritise OBC communities in their political messaging and welfare schemes, the report added. Nationally, the Congress is attempting to position itself as a pro-OBC party and counter the BJP’s influence in the segment.

The caste census was originally commissioned in 2015 during Siddaramaiah’s earlier term as CM and completed in 2017. However, fearing electoral fallout ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress chose to shelve the findings. Subsequent governments led by H D Kumaraswamy, B S Yediyurappa, and Basavaraj Bommai—spanning both coalition and BJP rule—also kept the report under wraps.

The move to now open discussion on the report could face resistance from dominant caste groups like the Lingayats and Vokkaligas, who have previously voiced opposition to the survey fearing a shift in reservation dynamics.

The cabinet's decision on Friday is expected to be closely watched by both supporters and critics of the caste census.