Opposition parties have come down heavily on the Union government after the first phase questionnaire of the population census released in the third week of January 2026 failed to seek details of castes other than Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). They also expressed scepticism about the BJP-led government’s intention to conduct the caste-based census as promised.
It may be recalled that a population census was not conducted in the country after 2011. The Union government postponed the 2021 census citing Covid-19 pandemic. However, elections were held in several states, and the 2024 general elections were successfully conducted during that period. Hence, the Union government's reason for postponing the census exercise has been widely rejected.
The BJP government’s hesitation to conduct the census stems from the pressure put by political parties, including the Congress, demanding a caste-based enumeration. Not only the opposition, even parties who are part of the BJP alliance have pushed for a caste census. This even became a contentious political issue in Bihar.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP failed to secure an outright majority and formed the government with the support of parties such as the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh.
The JD (U) contested the elections promising to conduct a caste-based census in Bihar. Given the BJP-led government’s dependence on JD (U) support, the BJP was compelled to announce a caste-based census at the national level. It became necessary since the caste surveys carried out by the Nitish Kumar-led government in the state were rejected by the courts.
In the run-up to the Bihar assembly elections, 2025, the BJP was under tremendous pressure to announce a caste-based census to secure the support of the voters. Until then, it had dismissed calls for such a census as "divisive" and "polarising." However, under pressure, the BJP changed its stance and announced that the census would indeed be caste-based.
Now, the postponed 2021 census is scheduled to be conducted in 2027. It is going to be a caste-based census. The BJP was forced to announce it as a caste-based census under pressure from the opposition and its own alliance partner, the JD (U), and its need to win the Bihar polls. Even now, doubts remain among a section of the public whether the caste-based census will actually be conducted.
The upcoming census will be the 16th conducted in India since its inception during the British colonial period. Until independence, all censuses were caste-based. After independence, only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were enumerated by caste. The 2027 census will be the first caste-based census conducted in independent India.
During the Congress-led UPA government in 2011, a Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) was conducted. However, the data collected was never released.
Ironically, the BJP, which had demanded the release of this data while in opposition, failed to act on it after coming to power in 2014. The reason reportedly was that the 2011 census had documented millions of castes in India—far more than in previous censuses. The last caste-based census conducted under British rule in 1931 recorded 4,147 castes, whereas the 2011 SECC reportedly recorded over 4.6 million castes.
Among the Scheduled Castes, there is a perception that a caste-based census would only benefit Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and provide no tangible benefits for SCs. However, this issue is of vital importance. For the Adi Dravidar community in Tamil Nadu, the caste-based census represents a historic opportunity to correct a past injustice, regardless of how SC communities in other states perceive it. During the 1931 census, their numbers were deliberately reduced—a historical wrong that can now be addressed.
Thanks to the efforts of the visionary leader MC Raja, in 1922, the colonial government issued an order abolishing the derogatory names “Paraiyar” and “Panchamar” and recognizing all members of these communities as “Adi Dravidar,” an ancient, caste-less identity. The resolution was introduced in the then Legislative Council by MC Raja on January 20, 1922, and was welcomed by MC Madurapillai, Namperumal Chetti, and others.
However, during the 1931 census, the officer in charge instructed that “each person should report their caste.” As a result, some were recorded under the old names “Paraiyar” or “Panchamar,” while others were recorded as “Adi Dravidar.” This fragmented the community’s numerical strength; the Paraiyar community, previously the second-largest in the Chennai province, was split into smaller groups. Despite the government order forbidding the use of derogatory names, these names persisted in census records—a legal anomaly that continues today. Post-independence, neither Union nor state governments have unified these communities under the single, caste-transcending identity of Adi Dravidar.
For Dalit and Adi Dravidar communities, numerical strength is a key source of power. The upcoming caste-based census offers an opportunity to reclaim that power. Based on the 1922 government order, the Tamil Nadu government should be urged to officially recognize all members of the community under the unified historical identity of “Adi Dravidar.”
(Translated from Tamil)
(D Ravikumar is Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Viluppuram and member of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi).