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The preliminary findings of the Telangana government’s caste survey that were released Sunday do not hold many surprises as they largely correspond with the 2011 Census figures.
But the community-wise numbers in the final report that was tabled in the state’s Assembly Tuesday will become crucial for policies that the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government will adopt and the stances each party is likely to take forward on caste dynamics in the state. They also come ahead of Telangana’s local body polls in February.
As per the figures of the Socio Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste (SEEEPC) survey, 56.33% of the state’s population belongs to the Backward Classes (BCs), with Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) constituting 17.43% and 10.45% of the of the state’s population respectively. Other Castes (OCs) account for the remaining 15.79% of the state’s population.
How did the Telangana government go about the survey? Are there any loopholes in the methodology? What are the political implications? A look:
*What was the methodology of the survey?
This survey covered 96.9% of Telangana households with the help of 94,863 enumerators and 9,628 supervisors who were deployed across 94,261 enumeration blocks. The surveyors had the participants fill out a questionnaire with 56 questions. The questions sought information about the caste and sub-caste of the participant as well as other demographic parameters such as name, age, occupation, income, property and health figures. A total of 76,000 data entry operators digitised the information within 36 days. The Centre for Good Governance developed the digital infrastructure to execute the project.
However, 3.1% of the state’s households did not cooperate with the enumeration. “Among the key operational challenges were that 1.03 lakh houses were found locked, 1.68 lakh families were initially hesitant to participate, and 84,137 houses were misclassified as they were not residential or were occupied by non-Telangana residents,” Telangana minister Uttam Kumar Reddy had said at a press conference held on Sunday.
*What does the Congress government want to do with the figures?
According to the Congress government, the caste survey will lead to “data-driven welfare-oriented governance”. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who headed the sub-committee which oversaw the caste survey, said, “This survey is not just a data collection exercise but a revolution in social justice, ensuring that the most vulnerable sections receive the benefits they deserve. The findings will help refine welfare schemes, improve job opportunities, and uplift weaker sections, proving that Telangana has the capability to execute large-scale, data-driven policies for the benefit of the people”.
*Did the findings have any surprises?
No. As per the 2011 census, the SC population was 54.09 lakh. The survey puts it at 61.84 lakh. While the ST population was 31.78 lakh in 2011, it rose to 37.05 lakh in the survey. The Backward Classes (BC), which were not separately enumerated in the 2011 census, were always calculated to be above 50% as per the state’s Backward Classes Department. The survey puts the BC population at 56.33%, and this includes 10.08% from the Muslim community.
The survey results are also almost in line with the last Caste Census India undertaken in 1931, a demographer said.
Dr Srinivas Goli, a senior demographer from the Indian Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS) said “there has been no major shift in the population shares of different social groups in Telangana”.
“If I compare the proportional shares of different social groups illustrated in the current Telangana Government report with the National Family Health Survey-4 estimates (SC-18.87%, ST-10.45%, OC-15.11%, OBCs-56.33%), which is based on the Census 2011 sample frame, I see a close resemblance.”
* What is the politics behind the survey?
The survey results come amidst a clamour for higher BC representation in politics. In the 2023 Assembly elections, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) gave 22 tickets to BCs, while the Congress and the BJP gave 34 and 45 tickets to the community respectively.
“There is no political reservation for BCs in the state or the country. If there were, over 50% of the seats in Legislative Assembly and Parliament would have been reserved for BCs based on population figures. But now we are demanding different political parties to actively consider BC candidates so that these castes get represented in the legislative process,” R Krishnaiah, a prominent BC activist, who has been making a demand for greater reservation for his community, said.
BCs are a voting bloc all the parties have been wooing because of their sheer population. The support of prominent BC groups in the state such as Gouds, Munnuru Kapus and Yadavs to the Congress is said to have helped it defeat the BRS that was in power for 10 years.
As it tries to make further inroads into Telangana after winning eight seats in the 2023 polls, the BJP is also trying to woo certain BC communities.
* How are the results of the survey going to play out in local body polls?
Considering the number of the BCs, they are likely to exert pressure for more representation. Currently, there are only two BC ministers in the Cabinet: Ponnam Prabhakar and Konda Surekha.
At a public meeting Sunday, Krishnaiah asked the Congress government to give 42% reservation for BCs in the coming local body polls. This demand has been reiterated by several BC activists including those who support the Congress party. Based on the survey, BC groups are expected to put pressure on different political parties to field their own candidates in unreserved seats.
Krishnaiah has also claimed the percentage of BCs in Telangana should have been 52% excluding BC Muslims. “The OC population in the state was always believed to be 8%. Now it is enumerated as 15.79%, including OC Muslims. This increase has taken away numbers from the BCs in Telangana,” Krishnaiah claimed. This issue is also likely to feature in the poll discourse.
