Karnataka socio-edu survey: 1 crore data gap may prove tricky for BCs' panel

With the Madhusudan Naik-led backward classes commission expected to submit its report on the social and educational survey soon, questions have arisen over around 1 crore persons not being enumerated and its potential ramifications on the report’s recommendations.

The survey covered 5.86 crore out of an estimated 6.85 crore persons in Karnataka (85.54 per cent). Since the High Court had specified that participation in the survey was not mandatory, many had refused to divulge information. When all such families are included, the number approached is said to be around 6.13 crore. 

The critical point is that it’s not possible to determine the caste and religion of the one crore people who have not participated in the survey. This, critics feel, leads to incomplete data where different communities may claim to have been “underrepresented”.

Earlier backlash

The previous survey was conducted in 2015 by the H Kantharaj-led backward classes commission, which recorded a 94.17 per cent coverage (5.98 crore covered out of an estimated 6.35 crore). Since the last census was in 2011, both figures - 6.35 crore in 2015 and 6.85 crore in 2025 - are population estimates.

When key details of the report on the population of specific communities were leaked in 2018, dominant communities such as Lingayats and Vokkaligas strongly opposed the report, calling it “unscientific” and claimed it “undercounted” their numbers.

When the next commission, headed by Jayaprakash Hegde, prepared its own report based on the 2015 survey, the leaked numbers were validated, the protests continued, even as OBC, Dalit and minority communities supported the exercise by and large. 

After a lot of political drama, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah eventually decided on June 12, 2025, to conduct another survey, arguing that the previous survey was 10 years old (section 11 of the Backward Classes Commission Act mandates revision of the list every 10 years).

However, it is widely believed that the real reason for not implementing the Hegde Commission’s report was the pressure from dominant communities. 

The new exercise has been seen as a compromise and an effort to take along both dominant communities. For the first time, the commission has members from both Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities.

K N Lingappa, a member of the backward classes commission during Kantharaj’s tenure, explained that the survey coverage (85.54%) meant that the Kantharaj survey numbers were likely to be validated.

“If the coverage numbers are lesser, why was the data collected by the Kantharaj-led commission not accepted?? What was the need for the government to spend an additional Rs 425 crore for this?,” he said.

Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes chairman R Madhusudan Naik told DH that these questions would be answered in the report. He said the report was likely to be submitted in March.