"Will Conduct Caste Survey If...": Chhattisgarh Chief Minister

The Congress will work to carry out a caste survey in Chhattisgarh if it retains power in the state, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said in a post on X today.

Mr Baghel said his party colleague Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also supports the plan to conduct a caste survey, similar to the one done by the Bihar government under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Both the Congress and Mr Kumar's Janata Dal (United) are members of the newly formed opposition block INDIA, whose combined might will be tested against the BJP's election-winning machine in the national election next year.

"We will conduct a caste census as soon as the Congress government is formed again in Chhattisgarh," Mr Bhaghel said, quoting Priyanka Gandhi.

The Bihar government on Monday released the findings of its caste survey ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The report indicates 36 per cent of the population are from Extremely Backward Classes, 27.1 per cent are from Other Backward Classes (OBC), 19.7 per cent are from Scheduled Castes and 1.7 per cent are from Scheduled Tribes. The general population is 15.5 per cent. The state's total population is over 13.1 crore.

The survey said the Yadav community - the group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs - is the largest subgroup, accounting for 14.27 per cent of all OBC categories.

Bihar BJP chief Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday said he saw "80 per cent supporters" of his party in the findings of the caste survey. He alleged the 

Addressing a press conference at the state BJP headquarters in Patna, Mr Chaudhary alleged the report was prepared to suit politics of "appeasement practised by RJD president Lalu Yadav and endorsed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar".