Congress plans to make caste census a major issue in MP assembly poll

Apparently keeping an eye on the electorally influential OBC voters, who are deciding factor in a large number of constituencies, the Congress has made plans to make its demand for a caste census a major plank in the forthcoming assembly poll in Madhya Pradesh which are scheduled to held in November/December this year.

Former MP chief minister and senior Congress leader Kamalnath has demanded that a caste census be conducted in the state but so far, the demand has not been met.

The plan of the Congress hinges largely on recent research that as many as 65 per cent voters in Madhya Pradesh prefer to vote for the candidates of their castes. Incidentally more than 50 per cent population of the state hails from the OBC communities.

The OBC voters are in sizable numbers in Chambal, Gwallior, Malwa, Bhopal regions and they decide the outcome of the polls on many assembly seats.

Siddharth Kushwah, a prominent OBC leader from the Congress said that the demand for a caste census in the state was not without reason. ‘’We have been demanding for a caste census for long…what is the problem in conducting a caste census….the state government should tell the people,’’ Kushwah said.

He said that though both prime minister Narendra Modi and MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan hailed from the OBC communities, and both got their votes also but neither of them did anything for the OBC people who were still on the streets with demand of reservation.

Kushwah said that Congress would ensure a caste census in the state if it came to power after the assembly poll.

BJP leaders, however, dismissed the Congress’ claims and sought to know as to why the Congress governments in the past did not conduct a caste census.