With a caste survey report released in neighbouring Bihar, the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress have demanded a similar exercise in Uttar Pradesh.
BSP supremo Mayawati said on October 3 that the Uttar Pradesh government should conduct a caste survey right away, adding that though some political parties are against it, it is the only way to ensure justice for the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the Congress have also pressed for a similar head count to figure out the numbers of different castes in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere.