The Rajasthan OBC Political Representation Commission has submitted its report to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, but the over 900-page document has not yet been officially released, leaving its detailed findings subject to political and social debate. The commission, headed by retired judge Madan Lal Bhati, was constituted to examine the social, economic and political status of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state and is expected to play an important role in determining OBC reservation in upcoming Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections.
According to sources familiar with the report, the commission has estimated Rajasthan's OBC population at around 43 per cent, or approximately 3.59 crore people. The estimate has attracted attention because it is lower than an earlier assessment by the Rajasthan State Backward Classes Commission, which had estimated the OBC population at around 52 per cent in 2019. A direct comparison of the two figures would indicate a decline of roughly nine percentage points in the estimated share of OBCs in the state's population over six years.
The reported findings have triggered questions from several OBC community organisations, which have disputed some of the population estimates. The concerns are particularly significant because the commission's data could influence the allocation of reserved seats for OBC candidates in local government elections. Political parties and community groups are therefore closely watching the report, even though the government has not yet made its contents public or formally endorsed the figures reported by sources.
Also Read: Yathindra Siddaramaiah To Lead Karnataka Legislative Council As Leader Of House
The commission's exercise forms part of the process aimed at meeting the Supreme Court-mandated “triple test” for providing OBC reservation in local body elections. The framework requires states to undertake an empirical inquiry into the nature and extent of political backwardness, determine the proportion of reservation required and ensure that the overall reservation remains within the applicable legal framework. The commission's assessment of political representation is consequently expected to be an important component of decisions concerning OBC reservations in Rajasthan's local elections.
Sources said the report contains information on 92 OBC castes and examines their social, economic and political circumstances. On political representation, the commission has reportedly found that only 11 of the 92 communities have significant representation, while several others remain inadequately represented. These findings could become particularly relevant when authorities assess how OBC reservation should be distributed across local bodies and whether existing patterns of representation adequately reflect the population and political participation of different communities.
One of the communities that has raised objections over the reported findings is the Jat community. Sources familiar with the report said the commission has estimated Rajasthan's Jat population at around 71.76 lakh. The Jat Mahasabha and other community representatives have disputed the figure, claiming that the actual Jat population is more than 92 lakh. The disagreement highlights the sensitivity surrounding caste population estimates, particularly when such data could have implications for political representation and reservation.
The controversy is likely to intensify once the Rajasthan government formally releases the report and its methodology becomes available for public scrutiny. Until then, the figures emerging through sources remain subject to verification, and comparisons with previous estimates may not necessarily reflect identical methodologies or survey parameters. The report's eventual publication is expected to provide greater clarity on how the commission arrived at its estimates and how the government intends to use its findings for OBC reservation in forthcoming local body elections.
Also Read: Himachal Weather: Heavy Rain Alert Issued For August 14, 17 And 18