Ashok Gehlot: caste survey in Rajasthan, just like Bihar

Days after Bihar announced the results of the state's caste survey, Ashok Gehlot announced that a similar census will be carried out in Rajasthan as well.

The Rajasthan chief minister's announcement comes as the state prepares for assembly elections.

Gehlot had announced a six per cent additional reservation for what he referred to as Rajasthan's original Other Backward Class communities in August.

On October 2, the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar released findings of its caste survey, months ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary elections. The data revealed that OBCs and EBCs constitute a whopping 63 per cent of the state's total population.

According to the data released, the state's total population stood at a little over 13.07 crore, out of which the Extremely Backward Classes (36 per cent) were the largest social segment followed by the Other Backward Classes at 27.13 per cent.

The survey also stated that Yadavs, the OBC group to which Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav belongs, were the largest caste in terms of the population, accounting for 14.27 per cent of the total.

Dalits, also known as the Scheduled Castes, accounted for 19.65 per cent of the total population in the state, which is also home to nearly 22 lakh (1.68 per cent) people belonging to the Scheduled Tribes.

(with PTI inputs)