Census advanced in four poll-bound States, deferred in Manipur
Poll-bound State to complete population enumeration before elections; Manipur exercise deferred amid protests and demand for NRC
On September 5, 2026, the Union government announced that the Population Enumeration of Census 2027 would proceed in poll-bound states Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa from November 16, 2026, to January 4, 2027. This was ahead of the nationwide enumeration planned for February 2027. Manipur, however, was deferred "till further declaration."
The second phase of Census 2027 will have 40 questions, including an open-ended field for recording caste details, making it the first time caste will be enumerated in independent India. There are 13 new questions compared to the 2011 Census. Census enumerators will be government school-teachers, who will also be deployed for election duty.
Self-enumeration through a dedicated portal will be available for residents of the four States from November 16 to November 30, 2026. The reference date for the census in these States and regions is January 5, 2027, while for the rest of the country, it is March 1. The first notification for the Population Census 2027 was issued on June 16, 2025.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the government's "shoddy planning" for advancing the census in the poll-bound states.
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