Karnataka Cabinet accepts caste census, to discuss findings on April 17

The Karnataka Cabinet on Friday accepted the findings of the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, commonly referred to as the caste census, ahead of a detailed discussion on them at its special meeting on April 17.

At least six ministers SS Mallikarjun, Laxmi Hebbalkar (Lingayats), MC Sudhakar and K Venkatesh (Vokkaligas), RB Timmapur (Scheduled Caste), and Madhu Bangarappa (Idiga) skipped the Cabinet meeting.

Minister H K Patil said there was no dissent on the Cabinet’s decision: “All ministers accepted the Cabinet decision irrespective of caste and community considerations.” He said the report was shared for review ahead of the April 17 meeting. “Even in the census, people get left out. Coverage of 94% is a big and very successful number,” Patil said, responding to concerns about the omission of 3.7 million people from the survey.

The findings of the report remain under wraps.

Backward classes welfare minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said the survey covered 59.8 million or 94.17% of the estimated 63.5 million population. “Only 3.7 million were left out, which means 5.83% missed the survey.”

The survey was initiated in 2015 during Siddaramaiah’s earlier tenure as chief minister. It reportedly involved over 160,000 personnel, who visited over 10 million households across Karnataka, incurring expenses of ₹162 crore. Siddaramaiah announced the report’s acceptance in June last year.

A minister, who did not want to be named, said that the survey’s scientific basis was reiterated during the Cabinet briefing, with officials citing extensive coverage and methodological rigour.

The dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities have questioned the accuracy of the data, alleging that their numbers were underrepresented. In 2018, purported leaks from the report indicated that Vokkaligas and Lingayats constituted just 14% and 11% of the state’s population, much lower than commonly believed, and Scheduled Castes (SCs) 19.5%, Muslims 16%, and Kurubas 7%. The data implied that SCs, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Muslims, and Kurubas made up 47.5% of Karnataka’s population.

On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reaffirmed the party’s stance on caste census, linking it to social justice. “We took a revolutionary step of caste census in Telangana... I told him [Prime Minister Narendra Modi] that we would pass the caste census law in the Parliament right in front of you...” Gandhi said, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fount, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, of resisting such a move.

In February, objections from influential leaders such as deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and minister Eshwar Khandre—both from dominant communities—reportedly led to the postponement of the report’s release.