# Caste census in 3 months if Centre fails, says Akhilesh 2026-08-17T02:36:07+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said an SP government would conduct a caste census within three months of coming to power if the Centre failed to do so. He said the survey was needed to ensure communities received rights and representation in proportion to their population, India Today reports. Yadav spoke at a convention marking the 196th birth anniversary of freedom fighter Rani Avantibai Lodhi. Yadav announced plans to declare August 16 a public holiday, hold events on her birth anniversary and install her statue with a golden sword at Lucknow's Gomti Riverfront, according to National Herald. He said the SP's PDA platform, backward classes, Dalits and minorities, would unite all sections. He also claimed the BJP's defeat in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections was certain. Yadav targeted the BJP over student protests in Delhi against alleged paper leaks, saying Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was removed to protect the Prime Minister. He also accused the BJP of looting donations at the Ram Temple. Both sources report no immediate response from the BJP. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in - nationalheraldindia.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T05:57:30+00:00. Tags: Akhilesh Yadav, BJP, caste census, Rani Avantibai Lodhi, Samajwadi Party, Uttar Pradesh Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/akhilesh-yadav-vows-caste-census-in-3-months-if-sp-wins-up/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/akhilesh-yadav-vows-caste-census-in-3-months-if-sp-wins-up/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/