Karnataka Appoints Four to Backward Classes Panel Amid Renewed Survey Push and Political Opposition

The Karnataka government begins groundwork for a new socio-educational survey as CM Siddaramaiah nominates four to the Backward Classes Commission.

The Karnataka government has initiated a fresh move towards conducting a new socio-educational survey by appointing four new members to the State Commission for Backward Classes, a step that has quickly drawn political and community pushback.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has nominated former IGP K Arkesh (Channapatna), advocate Shivanna Gowda (Mysuru), assistant professor B Sumana (Mangaluru), and retired principal CM Kundagol (Dharwad) to the commission. The panel, now fully functional under the leadership of chairman and former Advocate General Madhusudhan R Naik, is expected to begin consultations on the scope and methodology of the proposed survey.

“The commission will soon convene to advise the government on the upcoming enumeration,” said a senior official, adding that while the nominations have been communicated to the panel, formal appointment orders are pending.

The new survey is expected to differ from the controversial 2015 Kantharaju-led exercise by incorporating digital tools and possibly engaging schoolteachers outside class hours—with compensation for their time—to avoid academic disruptions.

However, the move has reignited resistance from influential communities like the Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats, who previously criticized the Kantharaju report for underreporting their populations. On Sunday, the Samajika Nyaya Jagruthi Vedike held a roundtable in Bengaluru, warning the state against repeating a "wasteful" exercise when the Centre is already preparing a nationwide caste-based census.

Forum spokesperson Vishnukant Chatapalli argued, “The Centre’s ₹13,000 crore caste census will include social, educational, and cultural data and will carry constitutional legitimacy. The state should release the Kantharaju report instead of duplicating the process.”

Meanwhile, BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar slammed the government’s shifting stance on the Jayaprakash Hegde report, questioning Siddaramaiah’s consistency. “Why did the CM change his position after visiting Delhi? The government must first release the report before talking about implementation,” he demanded.

Defending the move, Congress MLA Dr. Yathindra, son of the Chief Minister, blamed earlier BJP and JD(S) administrations for shelving the 2015 report. “Had they acted on it, we wouldn’t need to consider a fresh survey now,” he stated.

As Karnataka inches closer to launching a new round of caste-based enumeration, the debate over its political, legal, and financial implications continues to deepen.