The Bihar government in Bihar on Monday released findings of its much-awaited caste survey which revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute a whopping 63 percent of the state's total population. The report released ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is likely to further intensify the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc's demand to conduct a similar nationwide census.

Soon after the survey data was released, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar congratulated the entire team involved in the process and said further action would be taken on its basis for the development and upliftment of all sections.

“Caste-based census not only revealed the castes but also gave information about the economic condition of everyone. On this basis, further action will be taken for the development and upliftment of all sections,” Kumar said in a social media post on X.

“These figures will set an example for the country in making holistic planning for proper development and progress of the deprived, neglected, and poor and in giving representation to marginalized groups in proportion to the population,” he added.

He also said, "A meeting will soon be convened of all the nine political parties with an electoral presence in the state legislature and the facts and figures will be shared with them." RJD president Lalu Prasad, who is Kumar's ally as well as the father of his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, also issued a statement, declaring that the exercise will set the tone for "a nationwide caste census which will be undertaken when we form the next government at the Centre".

The report which only revealed the caste composition in the State said the Other Backward Class (OBC) population in the State is 27.1286% while the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) comprises 36.0148%. The Scheduled Caste population in Bihar is at 19.6518% while the Scheduled Tribe population is 1.6824% even as the General Caste population stands at 15.5224%. The report also revealed that Hindus comprise 81.9986% of the population while the Muslim share is at 17.7088%. Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and those following other religions as also the non-believers have a minuscule presence, together making up for less than one percent of the total population.

The survey report, titled Bihar Jaati Adharit Ganana (Bihar caste-based survey), released by Development Commissioner Vivek Singh, has also said that the total population in the state is 13,07,25,310, of which OBCs are 3,54,63,936 (27%) and EBCs are 4,70,80,514 (36%). Among the Other Backward Class group, the Yadavas comprise 14.26% while the Kushwaha and Kurmi castes form 4.27% and 2.87% respectively.

The Bihar Government launched a two-phase caste survey on January 7. The survey recorded the economic status of families alongside their caste and has estimatedly collected socio-economic data for a population of 12.70 crore in the 38 districts of Bihar.

The survey’s first phase, which involved counting the total number of households in Bihar, began on January 7 and ended on January 21. The second and final phase kickstarted on April 15 to collect data on people from all castes, religions, and economic backgrounds, among other aspects like the number of family members living in and outside the state. The new phase was slated to wrap up on May 15 but it was stopped mid-way after the Patna High Court put a stay on it, saying the state government wasn’t competent to carry out the survey.

Subsequently, the Bihar government approached the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the order. However, the top court refused to do so, observing that the High Court had kept the matter for hearing on July 3. A huge relief came for the state government on August 1, when the High Court ultimately said the survey was “perfectly valid”. The next day, the caste survey resumed and it was finally concluded around August 25. 

The caste census is a key component of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s bid political strategy, not only to stay relevant in state politics but to also play a leading role in the national opposition to the BJP. Notably, the survey was ordered last year after the Narendra Modi government at the Centre made it clear that it would not be able to undertake a headcount of castes other than SCs and STs as part of the census.

The Union Government in 2011 had undertaken a survey of castes through the Socio-Economic and Caste Census of 2011 (SECC-2011). However, the data was never made public.

Image source: Free Press Journal