September 20, 2025

Karnataka is buzzing with caste survey drama! Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had a crucial meeting with Congress state chief Rajdeep Singh Surjewala in Bengaluru on September 19, 2025. The big topic? The row over the inclusion of many “new castes” in the socio-educational survey that starts on September 22. The day before, several Cabinet Ministers, mostly from Vokkaliga and Veerashaiva-Lingayat communities, raised their eyebrows and objections in the Cabinet meeting about the expanding caste list. The Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes now plans to change the survey’s caste list format to calm the storm. According to government insiders talking to The Hindu, the software used for the survey might ‘mask’ or hide the controversial caste names. Instead of showing them outright, people from these castes may have to select ‘others’ and write in their caste. This quick fix aims to ensure the survey runs smoothly with less heat. Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge, Randeep Singh Surjewala, met the CM and Dy CM and strongly suggested continuing the survey but dropping the newly added castes from the official list. He brought this message directly from the Congress high command, sources revealed. The controversy revolves around as many as 331 castes and sub-castes, including many Christian and Muslim sub-groups. Groups like Vokkaliga Christians, Kuruba Christians, Brahmin Christians, and Lingayat Christians are among those making waves. Even Muslim sub-castes have drawn protests. There’s talk of creating a new “converts” category to group those castes together. But here’s the twist—the commission is said to be reluctant to erase these caste names from the list. On the other side, big caste outfits such as the Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha and Jagathika Lingayat Mahasabha have asked their community members to list themselves under “Veerashaiva-Lingayat” and “Lingayat” in the “others” section for religion. During the Friday discussions, some Ministers worried shutting down the survey last minute would look bad for the government. Others felt continuing as-is might harm the party's image and embarrass the government. Fighting hard against ‘new castes’ were leaders like D.K. Shivakumar, M.B. Patil, and Eshwar Khandre, demanding a proper anthropological study before any additions. Legal experts warn that removing these castes now could bring court cases. “The 2015 survey already had data on them. Back then, courts rejected individual petitions but accepted those from caste bodies. Suddenly erasing these names this year without chance to respond could mean court battles,” sources said. Repeated efforts to get comments from the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes’ top officials went unanswered. So, as Karnataka gears up for a big caste survey, the tension between politics, caste identity, and transparency makes it a sizzling pot ready to boil over!

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Tags: Karnataka, Caste survey, Siddaramaiah, Dk shivakumar, New castes, Rajdeep singh surjewala,