After JD(U), BJP's UP Ally Demands Caste-Based Census Across India

Apna Dal(S), an Uttar Pradesh-based party, is the second ally of the ruling BJP after the JD(U) which has raised the demand for a caste-based census.

With an eye on the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections next year, the BJP''s ally Apna Dal(S) on Sunday demanded a separate Union ministry for the welfare of the OBC and a caste-based census across the country to ascertain the exact population of the community. Apna Dal(S), an Uttar Pradesh-based party, is the second ally of the ruling BJP after the JD(U) which has raised the demand for a caste-based census. The demand assumes significance just months before the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, where the single largest chunk of voters belongs to the OBC category. "Caste-based census is the need of the hour to ascertain the exact population of each segment, especially the other backward class (OBC)," the working president of Apna Dal(S) Ashish Patel told PTI.