BENGALURU: In a politically significant move, the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes submitted its long-delayed socio-educational survey report, popularly known as the caste census, to the government on Thursday after a nudge from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Report Handover
Commission chairman K Madhusudhan and backward classes welfare minister Shivaraj Tangadagi handed the report — comprising more than 300 pages in two sealed envelopes — to Siddaramaiah at Vidhana Soudha.
The move is being seen as a major message from Siddaramaiah, who has faced criticism for not pushing the survey despite crores being spent on the exercise across his two tenures as CM. Critics had alleged successive governments avoided acting on the first report, fearing a backlash from Lingayats and Vokkaligas, politically dominant communities. With the revised report now formally submitted, the focus shifts to the next CM and the cabinet, which will have to decide on implementing its recommendations.
Submission Process
Sources say the commission was keen on submitting the report while Siddaramaiah remained CM and convened a meeting of all members earlier in the day to finalize the draft. The meeting began around 11:30 am. However, Madhusudhan denied any political urgency behind advancing the meeting, insisting it was originally scheduled for Saturday but was advanced since Friday is a government holiday and some members had expressed difficulty attending on Saturday. He refused to disclose details of the findings, only saying, "We have prepared and submitted the report honestly and hope that the government will accept it soon."
Tangadagi told TOI that the government had accepted the report and would take a decision on implementation at the next cabinet meeting.
Background
The fresh survey was launched across Karnataka on September 22, 2025, to document social, economic, educational, and political representation of various castes and communities. It has remained one of the most politically sensitive issues in the state.
