Karnataka Cabinet accepts caste survey, dominant communities protest

On April 11, the Karnataka Cabinet accepted a decade-old caste survey from the State Commission for Backward Classes, triggering political turmoil. The survey, conducted in 2015, covered 1.35 crore households and 5.98 crore people, about 95% of the then projected population. It pegged backward classes at 70% of the state.

Muslims are the largest bloc at 12.58%, followed by Veerashaiva-Lingayat at 11% and Vokkaliga at 10.29%. The Hegde Commission recommended raising reservation for backward classes from 32% to 51% and reclassifying castes into six categories. Dominant communities have rejected the findings as unscientific and demanded a fresh survey, claiming their populations were undercounted.

The Cabinet deferred further debate to May 2, and the Karnataka High Court has taken up the issue. The government has not yet released the full socio-economic data for public discussion.