- India as a nation is extremely complicated vis-à-vis the caste conundrum and labyrinthine equations associated with the same need no further elaboration. Our whole society is constructed along the caste lines, with the political firmament firmly establishing this over the years since our independence. Though the Constitution is premised on equality of rights irrespective of caste, creed, class, religion, gender, and other related issues, the caste continues to play an extremely critical role in shaping the destiny of our country is not lost on the discerning lot. The fact of the matter is that every political party, including the national and regional, is largely premised on the caste factor, catering to such diverse segments.
PC: The News Now
- Little wonder, the demands for quotas and reservations on caste lines never ceased in India. Thus, the Union Government’s announcement that the Census will take off was welcomed by all concerned. It is further confirmed with the official notification kicking in now. Formal census operations are set to kick off any day now. Making March 1, 2027, the reference date for census 2027 – the freeze-frame date, which means a child born after this date will not be counted in the census, even if fieldwork continues till after – made the census itself politically loaded. However, many questions remain unanswered. The argument has always been to hold the census speedily and give delimitation enough time – the last commission needed five years.
PC: India Briefing
- It’s the census that’s still two years away, and in all likelihood, delimitation will be earlier than expected given the condition that redistribution of Lok Sabha seats would be revisited after Census 2026. And in all likelihood, women’s reservation too will kick in before the LS 2029 elections. What’s known for a long time is that for the delimitation commission, vote vs voice is the key wrangle. The ratio of MP/MLA to population is higher for densely populated northern states. So, the value of a vote is lower for these states than for southern ones, where one MP represents fewer people. That, one argument goes, is unfair to the North. Conversely, awarding the North with more Parliament seats, basis failed or patchy population control, is an injustice to the South.
PC: HerZindagi
- Mind you, the South will end up getting penalized for population stability. They lose seats, thereby losing votes. Add to that women’s reservation, and that’ll shrink the opportunity by a third for male candidates. The concern that political parties will find women with winnability, read crorepatis, is but a myth. The simple answer is they’ll find women in the same places they find winning male candidates. Why demand that women politicians be polished diamonds when the worst male criminals get to contest? Women politicians are on the rise. The reality is that legislation is only the first step to greater women’s participation in electoral contests. Hopefully, the Census will usher in much-needed context to the caste/gender conundrum bogging the nation.
