The Union Home Ministry declared that India’s first population census since 2011 will finally be held in two crucial phases—on October 1, 2026, and March 1, 2027. This announcement not only restarts the long-delayed headcount but also clears the decks for several significant political exercises that have remained in limbo for decades.
Most notably, the declaration of Census 2027 paves the way for the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill and the long-frozen delimitation exercise. The Women’s Reservation Bill, which proposes reserving one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women, is explicitly tied to a census followed by a delimitation. Without these two steps, the law remains a dead letter.
Delimitation—the process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral constituencies based on population—is another politically sensitive issue. Though originally suspended until 2000 by the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976, the process was again stalled through the 84th Amendment Act of 2001. This amendment permitted only the rationalisation of constituency boundaries within states based on the 2001 Census, without changing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha or state assemblies. Effectively, it extended the freeze on full delimitation until the first census conducted after 2026.
In a groundbreaking departure from the past, the upcoming census will be India’s first digital one. For the first time, people will be able to respond to census queries from the comfort of their homes. The exercise will unfold in two phases. The first phase, called the Houselisting Operation (HLO), will gather extensive information on family income, assets, housing conditions, and amenities.
The second phase, known as the Population Enumeration (PE), will record comprehensive demographic, socio-economic, cultural, and other personal data for every individual residing in each household. In an unprecedented move since Independence, caste enumeration will also be included. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had already confirmed this in April, stating, “The caste census will also be included in the upcoming national census.”
India stands on the brink of a defining demographic moment—one that could reshape its political and social landscape. With Census 2027, decades-old constitutional roadblocks are finally being addressed, setting the stage for long-promised reforms.
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