Saurabh Mukherjee
The Centre on Wednesday, June 4, announced that India’s long-delayed decadal population census will be conducted in two phases starting next year, with the inclusion of a caste-based survey — a key demand of the Opposition.
The reference date for the census has been set as October 1, 2026, for snow-bound regions like Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, and March 1, 2027, for the rest of the country, according to a statement from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
“The reference date for Population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2027: For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2026,” the MHA statement said.
“It has been decided to conduct Population Census-2027 in two phases along with enumeration of castes,” the statement added.
India last conducted its census in 2011. The 2021 edition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite all preparations having been completed and fieldwork set to begin on April 1, 2020, in some states and Union Territories.
The 2011 census had been carried out in two phases, with reference dates adjusted for snow-bound areas.
The government also confirmed that caste enumeration will be conducted alongside the main population count, a move that marks a policy shift for the BJP, which had previously opposed a caste census during the 2024 general election campaign.
In April this year, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had framed the inclusion of caste data as a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to social equity, while accusing the Opposition INDIA bloc of using it as a political tool.
The announcement has reignited debates around delimitation, which is tied to census data.
The number of Lok Sabha seats has been frozen at 543 since 1973 based on the 1971 census. Constitutional amendments in 1976 and 2001 extended this freeze, with the latest setting 2026 as the cutoff for redrawing boundaries based on updated population figures.
With the new census reference date set for 2027, political analysts and Opposition leaders see the move as a strategic delay. Former IAS officer and Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar alleged that the postponement was designed to benefit the BJP electorally by increasing seat allocations in the Hindi-speaking belt, where population growth has been higher, while reducing representation for states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala that have successfully curbed population growth.
“The census was postponed because delimitation will happen on the basis of the first census after 2026. The Northeast, non-Hindi speaking parts of the east and the south have seen a drop in their population growth rate, while the Hindi belt has seen an increase. The postponement was done so that they (the BJP) have an overwhelming majority in 2029. This will lead to open confrontation between the south and other well-off states versus the Hindi belt and Gujarat,” Sircar told The Telegraph.
Congress MP and communications chief Jairam Ramesh criticised the government’s delay, saying, “There is really no reason to delay the Census that was due in 2021 for another twenty-three months. The Modi Govt is capable only of generating headlines, not meeting deadlines.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin echoed these concerns, warning that the delay was part of a deliberate attempt to reduce his state’s parliamentary representation.
“The Indian Constitution mandates that delimitation must follow the first Census after 2026. The BJP has now delayed the Census to 2027, making their plan clear to reduce Tamil Nadu’s Parliamentary representation. I had warned about this. It is now unfolding. By siding with the BJP, Palaniswami is not just silent but complicit in this betrayal. It's now clear that he has surrendered to Delhi’s domination. The people of Tamil Nadu are united as one in their demand for a Fair Delimitation. We need clear answers from the Union Government,” he said.
Delimitation has long been a contentious issue between the southern states and the Hindi belt. Southern leaders argue that the current freeze rewards states with high population growth while penalising those with effective family planning policies.
The 1976 and 2001 amendments aimed to protect states that had implemented population control measures from losing parliamentary seats.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav linked the caste census timeline to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
“Meaning, when PDA government comes to power in UP, only then will the caste census begin,” he said, referring to his party’s social coalition of backward castes, Dalits, and minorities introduced during the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign.
The reference date for the census has been set as October 1, 2026, for snow-bound regions like Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, and March 1, 2027, for the rest of the country, according to a statement from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
“The reference date for Population Census-2027 will be 00:00 hours of the first day of March 2027: For the Union Territory of Ladakh and the non-synchronous snow-bound areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be 00.00 hours of the first day of October 2026,” the MHA statement said.
“It has been decided to conduct Population Census-2027 in two phases along with enumeration of castes,” the statement added.
India last conducted its census in 2011. The 2021 edition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite all preparations having been completed and fieldwork set to begin on April 1, 2020, in some states and Union Territories.
The 2011 census had been carried out in two phases, with reference dates adjusted for snow-bound areas.
The government also confirmed that caste enumeration will be conducted alongside the main population count, a move that marks a policy shift for the BJP, which had previously opposed a caste census during the 2024 general election campaign.
In April this year, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had framed the inclusion of caste data as a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to social equity, while accusing the Opposition INDIA bloc of using it as a political tool.
The announcement has reignited debates around delimitation, which is tied to census data.
The number of Lok Sabha seats has been frozen at 543 since 1973 based on the 1971 census. Constitutional amendments in 1976 and 2001 extended this freeze, with the latest setting 2026 as the cutoff for redrawing boundaries based on updated population figures.
With the new census reference date set for 2027, political analysts and Opposition leaders see the move as a strategic delay. Former IAS officer and Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar alleged that the postponement was designed to benefit the BJP electorally by increasing seat allocations in the Hindi-speaking belt, where population growth has been higher, while reducing representation for states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala that have successfully curbed population growth.
“The census was postponed because delimitation will happen on the basis of the first census after 2026. The Northeast, non-Hindi speaking parts of the east and the south have seen a drop in their population growth rate, while the Hindi belt has seen an increase. The postponement was done so that they (the BJP) have an overwhelming majority in 2029. This will lead to open confrontation between the south and other well-off states versus the Hindi belt and Gujarat,” Sircar told The Telegraph.
Congress MP and communications chief Jairam Ramesh criticised the government’s delay, saying, “There is really no reason to delay the Census that was due in 2021 for another twenty-three months. The Modi Govt is capable only of generating headlines, not meeting deadlines.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin echoed these concerns, warning that the delay was part of a deliberate attempt to reduce his state’s parliamentary representation.
“The Indian Constitution mandates that delimitation must follow the first Census after 2026. The BJP has now delayed the Census to 2027, making their plan clear to reduce Tamil Nadu’s Parliamentary representation. I had warned about this. It is now unfolding. By siding with the BJP, Palaniswami is not just silent but complicit in this betrayal. It's now clear that he has surrendered to Delhi’s domination. The people of Tamil Nadu are united as one in their demand for a Fair Delimitation. We need clear answers from the Union Government,” he said.
Delimitation has long been a contentious issue between the southern states and the Hindi belt. Southern leaders argue that the current freeze rewards states with high population growth while penalising those with effective family planning policies.
The 1976 and 2001 amendments aimed to protect states that had implemented population control measures from losing parliamentary seats.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav linked the caste census timeline to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
“Meaning, when PDA government comes to power in UP, only then will the caste census begin,” he said, referring to his party’s social coalition of backward castes, Dalits, and minorities introduced during the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign.
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