After Bihar, caste census in Maharashtra? ‘Not averse to the idea’, says Devendra Fadnavis

livemint.com:

Bihar caste census report in detail, understand its methodology and then take a call on replicating the model in Maharashtra. “Its authenticity and accuracy needs to be verified," the deputy CM stressed, adding that the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar is the only government in the country which has so come out with a census of this kind. “Even the Congress-led government are yet to undertake this exercise." he added.

“We are not averse to the idea of such kind of census," Mid-Day quoted Fadnavis as saying. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader added that a call would be taken by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after taking into considerations all the factors. In the Bihar caste census, it was revealed that the Extreme Backward Classes (EBC) formed 36 percent – the largest share of the state's population of 13 crore – followed by the Other Backward Classes (OBC) constitute 27 percent, Scheduled Castes (SC) 19.6 percent and Scheduled Tribes (ST) 2.1 percent.

The section of population categorised as General formed 15 percent, as per the report. A day earlier, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar threw his weight behind the demand for caste census, saying that such an exercise will “help the denotified tribes". The demand for caste census in Maharashtra has also gained momentum since various caste groups have sought inclusion within the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) list to avail the benefits of reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.