By Sameer Ahmad
After a long delay that left policy planners and political strategists relying on aging data from 2011, Jammu & Kashmir is finally set to undertake the colossal exercise of Census 2027. The Union Territory-level Census Coordination Committee is expected to soon decide on a 30-day window for houselisting operations (HLO) between April 1, 2026, and September 30, 2026. This exercise, likely the first digital census in the region’s history, holds unprecedented significance as it serves as the statistical key that will unlock the future political map of the Union Territory.
The administrative machinery is already in motion to finalize the timeline. Talking to news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Amit Sharma, Director of Census Operations and Director of Citizen Registration for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, said that Jammu & Kashmir is expected to decide shortly on the timeline for conducting houselisting operations. “The census coordination committee will decide on a 30-day window between April 1 and September 30, 2026,” he said, adding that houselisting operations will be undertaken between June 1 and June 30 in Ladakh.
Sharma explained that houselisting operations constitute Phase 1 of the census exercise. This critical phase focuses on the structural and amenity mapping of every dwelling, setting the stage for the actual headcount. The UT level coordination committee for census is headed by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and is expected to decide on the specific 30-day window for HLO in its next meeting.
Given the diverse topography of the region, the schedule for Phase 2, the population enumeration exercise, has been bifurcated to accommodate climatic realities. Sharma further said that Phase 2, the population enumeration exercise, will be undertaken in September 2026 in snow-bound areas of Jammu & Kashmir and in February 2027 in the plains of the Union Territory. This ensures that enumerators can reach the most remote hamlets before winter renders them inaccessible. “The population enumeration exercise will be undertaken in September 2026 across Ladakh, keeping in view its classification as a snow-bound region,” he added.
Beyond the logistics, the census holds significance for Jammu & Kashmir for two major reasons as it will reveal the exact population of reserved categories and will serve as the basis for the next delimitation of Assembly and Lok Sabha segments. For the first time, the Paharis, Paddaris, Gadda Brahman, and Koli tribes, added to the Scheduled Tribe list of Jammu & Kashmir in 2024, will be enumerated as separate tribes. Their enumeration is not just a demographic formality but a political event, as it will determine the exact population strength of these groups, directly influencing future resource allocation and political representation under the reserved category status.
Similarly, the census will provide data on Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in J&K for the first time, filling a critical gap in social welfare statistics. According to details available with KNO, 20 castes and communities are included in the Central list of OBCs for J&K, while 41 are listed in the State (UT) list. In J&K, OBCs are entitled to 8 percent reservation in government jobs, and accurate data is essential for monitoring the implementation of these affirmative action policies.
More importantly, the census will form the basis of the next delimitation of electoral constituencies in the Union Territory, as laid down in the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The law stipulates that there cannot be any readjustment of Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in the UT until the figures of the first census conducted after 2026 are released. The last delimitation exercise in Jammu & Kashmir was completed on May 5, 2022, based on older data. The 2027 figures will eventually pave the way for a new delimitation commission to redraw boundaries that reflect the contemporary reality of Jammu & Kashmir, accounting for migration, urbanization, and the new tribal classifications. As the administration gears up for April 2026, the focus now shifts to the mobilization of the machinery required to digitize the identity of the Union Territory’s residents.
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