Patna: Following several months of administrative exercise amid severe political contestation, the Bihar government on Monday, October 2, released the results of the caste survey conducted in the state.
According to the data, the population of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Bihar is 27.13% and that of Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) is 36.01%. Castes like Yadav, Kurmi, Kushwaha, etc., are enumerated under the OBC category. Together OBC-EBC groups account for 63% of the state population. From the last caste census conducted in 1931 by the British, the population of OBC-EBC groups has seen a 10% jump. It maybe noted that the 1931 census was conducted in the then undivided India, including present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The population of Yadavs is the highest among OBC castes in the state at 14.26%, which is considered to be the core vote bank of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). At the same time, the population of the Kushwaha caste is 4.21% and that of the Kurmi is 2.87%.
Statistics show that the population of Scheduled Castes in Bihar is 19.65% and that of Scheduled Tribes is 1.68%. The population of general or upper caste groups has come out to be 15.52%.
Among upper castes, the population of Brahmins is the highest at 3.65%. The population of Rajputs stands at 3.45% and the Bhumihars population at 2.86%.
“Caste census was approved by all parties. It has not only revealed the population of castes but also their economic conditions. On this basis, further action will be taken for the development and upliftment of all sections,” chief minister Nitish Kumar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi welcomed the data and said, “The Caste Census of Bihar has revealed that the OBCs, SCs, and ST constitute 84% of its population. Out of 90 secretaries of the Central Government, only three are OBC, who handle only 5% of India’s budget. Therefore, it is important to know the caste statistics of India. The greater the population, the greater the rights.”
It is noteworthy that RJD has been demanding a caste census in Bihar since it was in opposition. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has been on the same path as well. Four years ago, on February 18, 2019, the proposal for a caste census was passed in the Bihar legislative assembly, when Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were together.
Going a step further, both RJD and JDU have called for caste-based enumeration across the country. Both Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav had also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pitch for the same. However, with no response forthcoming from the Union government, Bihar went ahead with its own caste census. After JDU walked out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance last year, Nitish Kumar’s government, together with its alliance partner RJD, expedited the work on caste census.
Starting on April 15 this year, the data was collected in a couple of months until August 5. “Caste enumeration was done in two phases, in which house listing was done in the first phase and caste enumeration of all the persons was done in the second phase. To ensure the accuracy of the data, we did random scrutiny of five percent of the data and prepared the final report,” said an official involved in the process.
On the results of the survey, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said, “These figures will set a benchmark for the country in giving representation to deprived and oppressed sections and the poor as per their population and to make policies for their development.”
Also read: Why Is the Modi Regime So Worried About The Caste Survey in Bihar?
Since the exercise for the Bihar caste survey was underway, constituent parties of the INDIA bloc have been demanding the BJP-led Union government to conduct a similar exercise across the country. However, the BJP has been of the view such an exercise could upset its apple cart, given that its electoral victories in 2014 and 2019 were largely a result of consolidating Hindus, who are otherwise divided across caste groups.
Legal hurdles
Several petitions were filed before the Patna high court and the Supreme Court, requesting orders be passed to call off the caste census in Bihar.
A clutch of public interest litigations (PIL) were filed against the caste census in the Patna high court in May this year. Justice Madhuresh Prasad, while hearing the PILs, had put an interim stay and fixed July 3 for the next hearing on the matter. After hearing both sides, the Patna high court on August 1 had upheld the caste survey dismissing petitions filed against it. The petitioners then moved the Supreme Court.
On August 21, the Supreme Court had told the petitioners that it would not stay the exercise unless they made out a prima facie case against it. Since the petitioners had argued that legally the caste census cannot be conducted by the state government as only the Union government has the right to do so, the top court had allowed solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, to file its response on the issue within seven days.
First, the Union government filed an affidavit questioning the caste census. The affidavit said, “No other body under the Constitution or otherwise is entitled to conduct the exercise of either census or any action akin to census.” But later it filed a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court withdrawing the paragraph.
The political fallout of census data
The government has released the data of a total of 209 castes in Bihar. Earlier, the figures of these castes were estimated in the last caste census done in 1931. With the latest data on caste groups now available, political parties are expected to further sharpen their efforts to woo and cultivate communities which could become their vote banks.
Political analyst Naval Kishore Chaudhary said, “Caste census has been conducted so that the castes can be consolidated. Now on the basis of these figures, parties representing different castes will demand reservation. Caste enumeration is completely a political move.”
The total population of the OBC group and EBC group is 63%, which is most important from the election point of view. Yadavs also have the largest population among OBCs, about 14.26%. At the same time, the population of Muslims is about 17.70%. Together, the figure comes to 31% and both are considered core vote banks of RJD, so electorally RJD seems to be in a strong position.
Also read: Need of the Hour: A Selfie Called Caste Census – India Must Confront its Truth
At the same time, the votes of EBC castes are scattered among small political parties, so political parties will now try to mobilise them.
Earlier Nai caste population was supposed to be negligible but the census has revealed their population at 1.56%. Similarly, Dusadh, Dhari, and Dharahi castes had no estimated figure but current data revealed their population at 5.31% whereas the Chamar caste population stands at 5.25%.
Patna-based journalist Dipak Mishra says, “These small castes had no bargaining power as they were supposed to be negligible in numbers. But, now they have data so they will bargain and political parties will also try to accommodate them.”
An RJD leader told The Wire on the condition of anonymity, “Based on this data, we will make the next election strategies.”
However, if seen in terms of population, the latest figures remain around the earlier estimated figures. The figures that have been reported so far regarding the population of OBC, Muslims, Upper Caste, etc., are almost similar to the figures obtained in this survey. In such a situation, some political analysts do not see the possibility that these figures will yield any results.
Political analyst Mahendra Suman says, “The figures that have just come confirm the earlier estimates. Yes, it is true that earlier we had estimated figures and now we have official figures. So, I don’t see the political significance of these figures.”
Rather, questions will be raised about Yadav and Rajput, whose population is 14.26% and 3.45%, because in the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections, these two castes and some other dominant castes were given much more seats than the population and they also won.
“RJD and JDU cannot take any benefit from these figures on the basis of population alone, rather questions will be raised on them that they do not give tickets as per population. Yes, if the report of socioeconomic conditions of these castes is released, it will benefit them because this data will tell what is the social status of the castes and accordingly reservation demand will be intensified,” he said.
On the other hand, Dipak Mishra says, “The data may help RJD and JDU to some extent but the situation is not going to be of the Mandal era of 90s, what RJD is expecting.”
“Yadav and Muslims were together about 33% but RJD had to lose in 2005,” he says.
