The Congress government in Telangana on Saturday began the enumeration process for a caste-based survey, as the party deployed its chief ministers in poll-bound Maharashtra to counter the BJP narrative about the Congress never delivering on its manifesto promises.

The Telangana survey is being projected as a template for a national caste census that the Congress promised in its manifesto for the general election earlier this year.

Although state unit leaders insisted that the survey’s timing had no relation to the Maharashtra elections or Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation about the Congress not honouring its poll promises, the Telangana move is likely to be used as a talking point in the campaign.

More so, because the BJP has been continuing with this narrative, the latest instance being an advertisement in several Maharashtra newspapers that claimed that schemes announced by the Congress had not been implemented by its governments in neighbouring Telangana and Karnataka.

The Congress has lodged a complaint with the Maharashtra chief electoral officer.

“Modi ji, caste census has started in Telangana from today. We will use the data obtained from this to formulate policies for the development of every section of the state. Soon this will happen in Maharashtra also,” Rahul Gandhi posted on X on Saturday.

“Everyone knows that the BJP does not want to conduct a comprehensive caste census in the country. I want to tell Modiji clearly -- you cannot stop the caste census across the country. We will pass the caste census in this parliament and break the wall of 50% on reservation.”

Lifting the 50 per cent ceiling on caste-based reservations was another promise in the Congress manifesto for this year’s Lok Sabha elections.

Having tasted some success with its “save the Constitution” narrative and promise of a caste census during the Lok Sabha campaign – particularly in Maharashtra, where it emerged as the largest party -- the Congress is hoping for a repeat in the Assembly polls.

All three main constituents of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra want a caste census, whose objective is to provide disadvantaged communities with opportunities and access to resources proportionate to their share of the country’s population.

Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) also want the 50 per cent cap on caste quotas removed, and are willing to support any attempt by the Centre to bring this about.

Bihar, Karnataka and Odisha have already completed their caste-based surveys. Bihar is the only state to have unveiled its findings.

The Karnataka report was completed in 2018 but successive BJP and Congress governments dragged their feet on it. It was finally submitted this year but the state’s Congress government has not made it public.

The Congress is divided on the matter and also faces pressure from two dominant communities in the state: the Lingayats and the Vokkaligas.