• Congress leader Manikrao Thakare (AICC in-charge, Goa/Daman & Diu/Dadra & Nagar Haveli) accused the NDA Centre of deliberately delaying the nationwide caste census to deny OBCs/EBCs their due representation [S1].
• The topic sits at the intersection of Census 2027 planning, federal politics, and social justice — a recurring UPSC theme linking Article 340, Mandal Commission, and reservation debates.
• Useful case study for GS-II (federalism, social justice) and GS-I (society/social empowerment) answer-writing.

2. Why in the News

• On 6 September 2026, Thakare, speaking in Patna, alleged the Modi government "hatched a conspiracy" to deny OBC/EBC representation by sitting on the caste census issue, and cited Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge as having raised this in Parliament [S1].
• He praised the Telangana Congress government's caste survey as effective and demanded a new caste-census questionnaire modelled on the Bihar and Telangana caste survey formats [S1].

3. Background & Evolution

• 1931: Last full caste-based Census of British India.
• Post-1951: Independent India's Census enumerated only SC/ST counts, not full caste data.
• 2011: Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development (2011–2015), gathered caste data but was never officially released/tabulated for policy use [S2].
• 2023: Bihar caste survey released — EBCs 36.01%, BC 27.12%, OBC+EBC together over 63% of state population [S3].
• 2024: Telangana caste survey (Congress govt) found non-Muslim OBCs 46.25%, Muslim OBCs 10.08%, SCs 17.43%, STs 10.45% [S3].
• 30 April 2025: Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) under PM Modi approved caste enumeration in the next Census [S2].
• Census 2027: For the first time since Independence, caste will be enumerated for all individuals (not just SC/ST) in the second phase of the census [S2].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Detail
Nodal exercise	Census 2027 — first digital enumeration exercise [S2]
Caste enumeration decision	CCPA, 30 April 2025 [S2]
Implementing body (Census)	Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, Ministry of Home Affairs
SECC 2011	Conducted by Ministry of Rural Development, 2011–2015 [S2]
Bihar survey OBC+EBC share	>63% of state population [S3]
Telangana survey OBC share	~56.3% combined (non-Muslim + Muslim OBC) [S3]
Key political actors	Manikrao Thakare (Congress/AICC), Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge [S1]
State-level precedents	Bihar, Telangana, Karnataka caste surveys

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Social

• Caste census data would recalibrate the evidentiary basis for OBC sub-categorisation and reservation quotas [S3].
• Bihar and Telangana data show OBC/EBC groups form a demographic majority, strengthening demands for proportionate representation [S3].

Legal/Constitutional

• Bihar's attempt to raise reservation to 75% (crossing the 50% Indra Sawhney ceiling) was struck down by the Patna High Court as unconstitutional [S3] — relevant to the basic structure/reservation-ceiling debate.
• Article 340 (Backward Classes Commission) and the enumeration mandate under the Census Act, 1948 underlie this exercise.

Administrative/Governance

• Centre vs. State tension: states (Bihar, Telangana, Karnataka) conducted their own caste surveys ahead of the Centre's decision, prompting opposition claims of Central "obstruction" [S1][S3].
• Census 2027's second phase will collect caste along with demographic/socio-economic data — a major administrative and technological undertaking (first digital census) [S2].

Ethical/Governance

• Opposition alleges political motive (denying due share to OBC/EBC); government frames it as a scheduling/technical decision tied to Census 2027 timeline — an accountability/transparency contest.

Historical

• Echoes the Mandal Commission (1980) and SECC 2011 precedent of caste data being collected but not made public/actionable.

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 30 April 2025: CCPA approves caste enumeration in Census 2027 [S2].
• 2025–26: Karnataka, Bihar, Telangana caste survey data cited repeatedly in national debate on Central caste census delay [S3].
• 6 September 2026: Thakare's Patna statement accusing Centre of obstructing caste census; demands Bihar/Telangana-style questionnaire [S1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• Last full caste census of India (undivided) was in 1931.
• SECC stands for Socio Economic and Caste Census, conducted by Ministry of Rural Development (2011–2015) [S2].
• Census 2027 will be India's first digital enumeration exercise [S2].
• Caste enumeration in Census 2027 approved by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) on 30 April 2025 [S2].
• Until 2011, Census enumerated only SC/ST, not full caste data [S2].
• Bihar caste survey: EBCs = 36.01%, BC = 27.12% of state population [S3].
• Bihar + all backward classes (OBC+EBC): over 63% of Bihar's population [S3].
• Telangana caste survey: non-Muslim OBC 46.25%, Muslim OBC 10.08%, SC 17.43%, ST 10.45% [S3].
• Patna High Court struck down Bihar's 65%/75% reservation hike as unconstitutional (breach of 50% ceiling) [S3].
• Manikrao Thakare is AICC in-charge for Goa, Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli [S1].
• Caste will be enumerated in the second phase of Census 2027 [S2].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-I: Society — social empowerment, communalism, regionalism, secularism (backward classes/caste dynamics).
• GS-II: Governance — welfare schemes, issues relating to development and management of Social Sector; Centre-State relations; federalism.
• Possible question stems: 1. Discuss the constitutional and administrative issues involved in conducting a nationwide caste census in India. (GS-II) 2. Examine how state-level caste surveys (Bihar, Telangana, Karnataka) have shaped the national debate on social justice and reservation policy. (GS-I/II) 3. Does enumeration of caste in the Census undermine or strengthen the goal of an equitable society? Critically examine. (GS-I)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• Mandal Commission (1980) — historical precedent for OBC classification and 27% reservation.
• Indra Sawhney case (1992) — 50% reservation ceiling, basis for legal challenges to Bihar's 65-75% quota.
• SECC 2011 — earlier failed attempt at caste enumeration.
• Article 340 — constitutional basis for backward class commissions.
• 102nd/105th Constitutional Amendments — National Commission for Backward Classes, states' power to identify OBCs.
• EWS reservation (103rd Amendment) — comparative reservation debate.
• Census Act, 1948 — legal framework governing census operations.
• Cooperative federalism — Centre-State friction illustrated by state-led caste surveys.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Confusing SECC 2011 (caste data collected but not officially released) with a full "caste census" (never conducted post-1931).
• Assuming Census 2027 caste data collection is a state subject — it is a Union subject (Census is in the Union List, Entry 69, Seventh Schedule).
• Mixing up Bihar's EBC/BC percentages with Telangana's OBC percentages — figures and methodologies differ (Bihar used a "survey", Telangana also a "survey", not part of official Census).
• Wrong attribution: Bihar's reservation hike was struck down by the Patna High Court, not the Supreme Court (Supreme Court proceedings on this are separate/ongoing).
• Treating "caste census" and "caste survey" as identical — census is a Central Government constitutional exercise; surveys (Bihar/Telangana/Karnataka) are state-conducted, not part of the decennial Census.

11. Sources

• [S1] Centre obstructing caste census to prevent true representation: Thakare — The Hindu — https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/2026-09-06/th_chennai/articleGJ2GGBGMQ-16444911.ece — (tier: 4)
• [S2] Census 2027: India's First Digital Enumeration Exercise (PIB, April 2026) — https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2026/apr/doc2026425856601.pdf — (tier: 1)
• [S3] Bihar, Karnataka, Telangana: What Three Big Experiments On Caste Survey Tell Us / Bihar caste census report data — https://swarajyamag.com/politics/bihar-karnataka-telangana-what-three-big-experiments-on-caste-survey-tell-us ; https://www.studyiq.com/articles/bihar-caste-census-report/ — (tier: 4)