The RGI had recently directed all states and UTs to complete the appointment of census functionaries by January 15, 2026. The Census, which involves detailed enumeration of the country’s population, is a significant administrative and demographic exercise.

The upcoming Census takes on added political significance, especially as it follows the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India. A section of political analysts views the concurrent focus on population and identity-related exercises as aligning with the government's stated intent to address the issue of illegal immigration.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2025, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, had announced the government's commitment to drive out "infiltrators" from the country. Critics of the government have termed these steps—encompassing electoral roll revision and the comprehensive Census—as an "undeclared National Register of Citizens (NRC)" exercise.

The Census Rules, 1990, mandate that State governments and local authorities appoint various functionaries. As per Rule 3, teachers, clerks, or other government officials can be engaged as enumerators, with supervisors typically being officers of a higher rank. District Collectors/Magistrates or nominated officers are designated as Principal Census Officers, overseeing operations in their respective jurisdictions.