MP Assembly Election 2023 / Congress promises caste census in MP, will it prove to be a trump card?

MP Assembly Election 2023: In the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, the Congress has finally announced the promise of conducting caste census. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge while addressing the rally in Sagar said that Kamal Nath does what he says. Caste census will be conducted after the Congress government is formed in Madhya Pradesh. On the lines of Karnataka, in Madhya Pradesh too, the Congress has made an effort to harness the vote bank of the OBC community by conducting caste census. It has to be seen whether this bet will prove to be a trump card in Madhya Pradesh like Karnataka?

The population of the OBC community in Madhya Pradesh is about 50 percent, but they get only 14 percent reservation. OBCs in the state have been demanding to increase their reservation from 14 to 27 percent for a long time. The Congress is constantly raising this demand for OBC reservation and Kamal Nath had taken a decision in this direction when he was in power, but the matter has got entangled in court and legal tangle. In such a situation, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has made an effort to get OBC votes in the assembly elections by announcing that a caste census will be conducted after coming to power.

After the nineties, politics has changed and completely revolved around the OBCs. OBC reservation remains a big issue in Madhya Pradesh, on which both BJP and Congress are making promises to get votes for the OBC community. 50 percent OBCs in MP have the power to make or spoil the game of any party. There are currently 60 OBC MLAs in the state, but they hold influence on more than 100 seats in the state.

This announcement has been made in Rajasthan

The Congress was successful to a large extent in connecting the OBC section with itself through the caste equation in Karnataka. That is why Congress is now promising caste census in one state after another. In Rajasthan too, Ashok Gehlot had announced to conduct caste census in the past and now in Madhya Pradesh also this bet has been made. In Madhya Pradesh, Dalits and tribals are considered a strong vote bank of the Congress. In the last elections, both these communities voted heavily in favor of the Congress, but a large section of the OBCs remained with the BJP.

Tried to help different castes of backward class

The BJP has maintained a strong hold by fielding leaders from the OBC community like Uma Bharti, Babulal Gaur and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Congress in Madhya Pradesh has understood that it is not possible to come to power without OBCs. That's why Congress is now making efforts to connect different castes of backward classes under a special strategy to make OBC voters in their court.

Not only this, the Congress has put forward OBC leader Arun Yadav. Apart from this, Congress has also put Jitu Patwari on the front foot. In such a situation, by raising the issue of caste census, the Congress has made a bet to bring the OBCs to its side. It has to be seen how effective the strategy of Congress proves to be.