Census in 4 poll-bound states from Dec 1 to Jan 4

In a move to streamline the upcoming census, the Indian government has decided to conduct the population enumeration in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and parts of Uttarakhand from December 1, 2026, to January 4, 2027, according to a recent gazette notification. This advance scheduling is primarily due to the upcoming elections in these states, which are expected to occur early next year.

For these regions, citizens will have the option to participate in self-enumeration from November 16 to November 30, 2026. The census will be conducted in two phases, with the first stage being the house listing and housing census, followed by the population enumeration. This is the eighth decennial census since India's independence, with the previous one being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The census, which will be a massive undertaking, is being conducted in two phases: the first is the house listing and housing census, and the second is the population enumeration. The decennial exercise, which was initially scheduled for 2021, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Union Cabinet has approved a budget of Rs 11,718 crore to conduct the census.