Bhiwandi: In a significant socio-political development from Shahapur taluka, residents belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community in Khativali village have announced a boycott of the ongoing census process, alleging the absence of a separate OBC category in the official enumeration format.
The decision was taken during a community meeting held in the village, where OBC activist Bharat Nichite attended as the chief guide and addressed villagers on the importance of caste-based census data for social justice and policy representation.
Presenting the background of the issue, Eknath Tarmale stated that no independent caste-wise census of the OBC community has been conducted since 1931. He questioned why the country’s indigenous and backward communities continue to remain officially uncounted despite their substantial population and contribution to society.
Speakers at the meeting recalled that former Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had assured an OBC caste census in 2019. They further pointed out that the Union Cabinet, during its meeting held on April 30, 2025, had approved caste-based enumeration, which was publicly announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during a press briefing.
However, resentment grew after the January 22, 2026 notification reportedly included separate columns for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) among the 33 census questions, while no distinct category was provided for OBC communities. Villagers alleged that the omission reflected continued neglect of backward classes at the policy level.
Following detailed discussions, Khativali village unanimously passed a resolution declaring that residents would not provide any information to census officials until a separate OBC column is incorporated into the process. Community leaders claimed that several OBC organisations across Maharashtra have already adopted a similar stand, making Khativali the first village in Thane district to formally boycott the census on this issue.
Addressing the gathering, Bharat Nichite elaborated on the social, educational, economic and political significance of caste-wise enumeration. He stated that accurate population data would strengthen demands for scholarships, educational support, employment representation and welfare schemes for farmers and economically weaker sections within the OBC community.
Expressing frustration over the issue, Bhaskar Jadhav remarked that “if governments can conduct counts of animals and birds, why can’t backward communities be counted properly as human beings?” Meanwhile, Bhagwan Kudav alleged that resistance to an OBC census was not based on fear but on a “deliberate conspiracy” to suppress the actual population figures of backward classes.
Kavita Panerkar informed attendees that a formal proposal would soon be passed through the village gram panchayat and forwarded to the government demanding immediate inclusion of an OBC category in the census framework.
The meeting was attended by several members of the OBC community, including Anil Mahajan, Sanjay Jadhav, Shamnath Gujre, Deepak Sapat, Vilas Jadhav, Naresh Jadhav, Yogesh Bhoir and Narendra Jadhav, among others.
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