Involvement in the caste census of secretariat employees — already suspected of manipulating electoral rolls — is raising eyebrows.
Representational image of survey from Humans of Data
The YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh, led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has issued orders to expedite the ongoing caste census, setting a deadline to complete the process by mid-February. This move comes when the elections are scheduled in the next three months.
All regional parties in Andhra Pradesh support the caste census, which began on a pilot basis in November 2023.
However, there’s a concern as the caste census is being undertaken by Village and Ward Secretariat employees, aka sachivalayam employees, who already stand accused of alleged involvement in the manipulation of electoral rolls.
Andhra Pradesh is undertaking a caste census after a 90-year hiatus, with the last available caste data available from the census conducted in 1931 during British colonial rule.
Post-independence, successive Indian governments refrained from conducting a comprehensive caste census due to concerns that it might reinforce caste divisions and perpetuate the caste system.
Every 10 years, India conducts its decadal census (it missed 2021 due to Covid). But, from 1951 to 2011, the country only collected data for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This census also includes information on religions, languages, and socio-economic status.
Given that the existing data is 90 years old and castes play a crucial role in various welfare programmes, political parties are fervently advocating for the caste census.
Previously, the Congress party had, at the national level, put forth a resolution pledging to conduct a caste census across the country and also promised to eliminate the 50 percent reservation cap for Other backward Castes (OBCs) through legislation.
Political observers believe that the BJP-led dispensation in New Delhi is reluctant to undertake a caste census, as doing so might put pressure on the Union government if an expected increase in OBC numbers leads to demands for increases in the reservation cap for jobs, education, and other categories.
Andhra Pradesh will be the second state in India to undertake and to publish caste-based census, following Bihar.
The approval for the caste census was granted in a Cabinet meeting on 3 November, 2023, after the state’s appeal to conduct it concurrently with the regular census in 2021 was not accepted by the BJP.
Opposition parties, including the TDP and Jana Sena, have also been backing a caste census.
In November, a caste census exercise was carried out on a pilot basis in five secretariats of NTR, Nellore, YSR districts, Srikakulam, and Dr Ambedkar Konaseema.
The Andhra Pradesh government announced a streamlined schedule for the caste census on 9 January, with the aim of completing the process by 15 February.
However, controversy arises due to the Government Order (GO) stating that the grama/ward secretariat aka sachivalayam employees will be involved in the data collection process through a door-to-door survey.
The grama/ward secretariat employees, appointed by the YSRCP-led government, are already under scrutiny for their role as Booth Level Officers (BLO) and their alleged involvement with volunteers and party workers in deletion and addition of votes in the electoral system.
In a previous investigative story, South First reported on the alleged voter profiling carried out by a nearly 10-lakh-strong force of village/ward volunteers, secretariat workers, and Gruha Saradhis.
These individuals, appointed by the government and party, are accused of blurring the lines between their official roles and engaging in electioneering activities. The data collected from this profiling is purportedly used to identify “inconvenient” voters and influence electoral outcomes.
Now, with the new order, the grama/ward secretariat employees, already involved in electioneering activities, are expected to carry out this additional exercise across the state within a deadline of just 27 days.
Speaking to South First, Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram, National Spokesperson of TDP, said: “The caste census is something we also wanted to be done, and we have been demanding the government carry it out for the past four years. But for some strange reason, they have avoided it.”
He said the timing of the survey, especially during the election season, raised concerns about the hurry to finish it in just 27 days. He also questioned why only grama/ward secretariat employees are involved and why other employees from, say, the Revenue Department, and teachers are not included.
Pattabhi questioned, “How can a survey like this be seen in a fair manner, and the output be authentic, when it is being carried out like this?.
Jana Sena MLC Vamsi Krishna Yadav from Visakhapatnam said: “There is no issue with the caste census, but the involvement of secretariat staff is the issue to be looked at.” He demanded the inclusion of revenue employees and teachers in the survey exercise.
NGO Jana Chaitanya Vedika’s President V Lakshman Reddy echoed similar concerns.
“Already, the volunteers and sachivalayam employees are working closely with the party system despite being paid by the government. So, instead of conducting the caste census with them, it is better to conduct it with other employees for an authentic report. Because they can’t do it systematically and scientifically, and glitches in the work can be seen in the electoral rolls,” he said
“Considering their track record, they may also collaborate with party workers during the survey, indirectly influencing opinions on welfare schemes, political preferences, and shaping the views of voters,” he told South First.
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