BENGALURU: Amid strong opposition from some ministers, opposition parties and religious heads, the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes is all set to begin the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey-2025 from Monday by masking 33 Hindu castes with the Christian religion identity from the mobile application developed for the survey.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot too had raised concerns following a representation by a BJP delegation and had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, pointing out that the inclusion of castes with the Christian tag would create unrest in the society.
On Saturday, the commission stated, “Because of the confusion and spread of wrong information, the names of castes have been deactivated from the list. But there is an option for those willing to register voluntarily.”
This means castes like Akkasaliga Christian (code A-0020), Brahmana Christian (A-0217), Kuruba Christian (A-0810), Vokkaliga Christian (A-1542) and Vysya Brahmana Christian (A-1545) will not be registered. But those willing to identify with whichever caste, including the 33 that have been masked and those beyond that, they can do so by opting for the ‘others’ column with the specific entry. But they will not be included in the list of 1,528 castes, the commission said.
16-day survey to cover 7 crore population
The survey, spanning 16 days, ending on October 7, will cover over 7 crore population of the state. After analysing data, the commission, with the help of experts, including former chairpersons, is likely to submit the report to the government for further action by December 2025. The government could tweak the categories and redistribute the quota based on the report.
Talking to the media, Commission Chairman Madhusudan R Naik and member-secretary KA Dayananda clarified that the list of castes is only for the reference of enumerators and the consumption of the commission. It is not a public document and does not have legal validity, they added.
“The inclusion of new castes did not happen after I became the chairperson. It existed in the Kantharaju commission report in 2015. As people’s representatives and others raised their concerns over the new castes and the issue turned contentious, the commission decided to remove 33 castes from the dropdown of categories,” Naik informed.
Dayananda said that during the Kantharaju commission survey, over 4 lakh people, including 5,000 Brahmins and 2,000 Vokkaligas, had registered themselves with the Christian religion identity. The present commission issued the notification on August 19, 2025, and several castes applied to be included in the list, he said. After examination, the commission found 148 castes eligible and published the list on August 25, he added.
“There is a mandate that the survey on the socio, economic, educational and political status of the communities should be carried out every ten years to break the status quo and ensure social justice to deprived communities. Following the Kantharaju commission report and recommendations by the K Jayaprakash Hegde-led commission, the government had reclassified the backward classes quota.
The government announced the survey only because the Kantharaju commission report was ten years old,” Naik elaborated. He said Navratri festivities would affect the drive, saying there are many options, including online, to register. “The Dasara vacation is being used as teachers’ services could be utilised. As deprived classes anticipate reclassification of quota and distribution of benefits, the commission does not want to postpone the survey further,” he claimed.
Survey delayed in GBA region
Because of the GBA with new corporations, the launch of the survey will be delayed by 2-3 days in Bengaluru, and the survey deadline is likely to be extended beyond October 7, KA Dayananda said. In GBA, people can book a slot to register in their own time.