Vote-bank politics

The longstanding demand for a caste-based census, championed by several non-BJP political parties, has seen a dramatic shift as the Modi government has recently decided to do a U-turn to include caste enumeration in the upcoming national census. For years, non-BJP parties have argued for the necessity of a caste-based census, framing it as an instrument for social justice, though such appeals were often dismissed by opponents as mere attempts at appeasement and vote bank politics. However, when anything promises political gain, there is no principle involved and so the BJP in a twinkling of an eye, embraced caste-based census. This shift comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, expected later this year, where caste factors prominently influence political outcomes. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently allied with the Janata Dal (United) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Bihar, approved the caste-based census following demands from its coalition partner. On April 30, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the green light to the caste enumeration, a move that was previously resisted by the party and had been continuously demanded by the opposition, notably Congress and Rahul Gandhi. The recent decision by the central government reflects similar caste surveys conducted by states like Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka. Despite this alignment, the BJP’s stance has traditionally been against the caste census, with party leaders not letting go of opportunity to accused the Congress party of using the caste issue to divide society. This position was reiterated as recently as July 2021, when Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told Parliament that the policy was not to enumerate caste-wise populations beyond SCs and STs. Quite understandably, the announcement of the inclusion of caste data has already created a stir and is expected to feature strongly in the Bihar election campaign that takes place in November 2025.A caste census involves gathering detailed data on various caste groups, including their distribution, socio-economic circumstances, and educational status. Historically, such enumeration was standard during British India’s census from 1881 to 1931 but was discontinued after independence, beginning with the 1951 census. Post-independence, the categorization was limited to broader groups such as Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and the General category based on social and educational parameters. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision and in order to take the wind off the sails of the Congress, added that the grand old party had not conducted a caste census during its extended tenure in power since independence. The political context is further shaped by the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where analysts note that the consolidation of SC, OBC, and ST communities around opposition agendas influenced electoral results, resulting in the BJP losing its previous majority.In the run-up to the Bihar election, the BJP, now a new convert to case-based census alongside its ally JDU, enters a landscape where debates over caste data and social justice will be central. The recent move is expected to play a significant role as parties campaign on issues of empowerment and representation.