BC-A and BC-B are the two sub-categories of Haryana’s Backward Classes quota. BC-A (Block A) contains the 72 communities that were already on Haryana’s Backward Classes list before 1995 and receives 16% reservation in Group C and D state posts. BC-B (Block B) contains the 6 communities added in and after 1995 and receives 11%. Together they make up Haryana’s total 27% Backward Classes reservation.
You cannot choose between them. Which block you belong to is fixed by your caste, and the two blocks compete in separate merit lists — a BC-A candidate never competes against a BC-B candidate for the same reserved seat.
The split is unusual. The central government treats all these communities as one undivided OBC block. Haryana divides them, and has done so since 1995. This article explains which castes fall where, what each block receives, why the division was created, and how it affects certificates, jobs and admissions in 2026.
BC-A vs BC-B: Quick Comparison
| BC-A (Block A) | BC-B (Block B) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it contains | Communities on Haryana’s BC list before 1995 | Communities added in and after 1995 |
| Number of entries | 72 | 6 |
| Group C & D posts | 16% | 11% |
| Educational admissions | 16% of state quota | 11% of state quota |
| Estimated population share | More than 19% (1995 Commission estimate) | More than 10% (1995 Commission estimate) |
| Panchayati Raj reservation | Implemented 2022 | Implemented 2024 |
| Creamy layer applies | Yes | Yes |
| Certificate | Haryana BC certificate, Block A | Haryana BC certificate, Block B |
Which Castes Are in BC-B?
BC-B contains six notified entries. This is the shorter list and the easier one to check:
- Ahir / Yadav
- Gujjar
- Lodh / Lodha / Lodhi
- Saini, Shakya, Koeri, Kushwaha, Maurya
- Meo
- Gosai / Gosain / Goswami
All six were general category communities before 1995. None appeared on Haryana’s Backward Classes list. They entered it through the Haryana Second Backward Classes Commission’s report of 24 February 1995 and the government notification that followed on 7 June 1995.
The Commission had recommended four of them — Ahir/Yadav, Gujjar, Lodh/Lodha and Saini — after assessing each as socially and educationally backward and inadequately represented in state services. Meo and Gosai/Gosain/Goswami were added by the government beyond the Commission’s recommendation.
Which Castes Are in BC-A?
BC-A contains 72 entries and is the larger and older category. It includes Kumhars/Prajapati, Hajjam/Nai/Sain, Sunar/Zargar/Soni, Lohar/Panchal-Brahmin, Kamboj, Teli, Dhobis, Gadaria/Pal/Baghel, Rai Sikhs, Mochi, Banzara/Banjara, Jhangra-Brahman/Khati/Suthar/Tarkhan and the Dhimar/Mallah/Kashyap-Rajpoot group, among many others.
Several BC-A entries group multiple recognised synonyms of a single community. Kumhar and Prajapati are one entry with identical entitlement; so are Nai and Sain, and Sunar and Soni. If your family name appears anywhere inside an entry, that entry covers you.
The full notified list of all 72 entries, with every recognised synonym, is set out in our complete Haryana BC-A caste list.
Why Does Haryana Split Its OBC Quota?
Haryana splits its Backward Classes quota to stop larger newly-included communities from crowding smaller established ones out of reserved seats.
The reasoning is arithmetic. In 1995 the state was about to add four communities to a Backward Classes list that already had 67 entries. Two of the additions — Ahir/Yadav at more than 5% of the state population and Gujjar at about 2.5% — were individually larger and, on average, better placed educationally than many communities already on the list. Put into a single undivided pool, they would take a disproportionate share of every reserved seat and every reserved post, and the communities the quota had been serving since the 1950s would effectively lose access to it.
The Haryana Second Backward Classes Commission saw this and designed around it. Its report states that the sentiments of the existing Backward Classes should be honoured and their interest safeguarded, and it recommended two schedules with separately earmarked percentages, so that neither block could draw on the other’s share.
This makes Haryana an early adopter of a policy idea that has only recently gained national attention. Sub-categorisation within the OBC quota — the question the Justice Rohini Commission was set up at the Centre to examine — has been operating in Haryana since 1995.
How the 16:11 Split Was Decided
Here the record contains something most explainers leave out: the 16:11 split is not what the Commission recommended.
The Commission recommended 19% for Block A and 8% for Block B. That 19% was not arbitrary. The Commission had collected district-wise population data showing the existing Backward Classes at 15.04% of the state population, rejected that figure as an undercount produced by classifying backward-caste Sikhs and Muslims by religion rather than caste, and arrived at a corrected estimate of more than 19%. The recommended quota tracked the corrected population figure.
The government notified something different:
| Commission recommended (24 Feb 1995) | Government notified (7 June 1995) | |
|---|---|---|
| Block A | 19% | 16% |
| Block B | 8% | 11% |
| Castes in Block B | 4 | 6 |
Three percentage points moved from Block A to Block B, and Block B gained two castes the Commission had not recommended. No reasoning for the change appears in the Commission’s report, because the change was not the Commission’s.
This is the single most consequential fact about the BC-A/BC-B system and the least reported. It is the basis of the long-running BC-A demand that the 16% be restored to 19% — the argument being that 16% has no foundation in the Commission’s own findings, while 19% does.
Does BC-A or BC-B Get a Better Deal?
Neither block is straightforwardly better off, and comparing the raw percentages is misleading. What matters is percentage measured against population.
On the 1995 Commission’s own estimates, BC-A communities were more than 19% of Haryana’s population and now hold 16% of Group C and D posts. BC-B communities were more than 10% and hold 11%. Measured that way, BC-B’s share is proportionate to its numbers and BC-A’s is below its numbers.
Two qualifications matter. First, these are 1995 estimates; no caste census has updated them, and BC-A’s share has been informally put closer to 18% in more recent government statements. Second, quota share is not the only variable — the composition of each block differs, and BC-A contains a large number of very small artisan and service communities for whom even a proportionate quota translates into very few actual posts.
What can be said plainly is this: BC-A carries roughly two-thirds of the combined quota while containing 72 of the 78 notified communities, and its 16% figure sits three points below what the Commission that designed the system recommended for it.
Certificates: What Changes Between the Blocks
The certificate process is the same for both blocks; only the block recorded on it differs.
- The same form. Haryana issues a BC certificate that specifies Block A or Block B. It is issued on a prescribed state proforma and recruitment notifications will reject certificates not in that proforma.
- The same creamy layer rule. Both blocks are subject to it. The annual family income limit was raised from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh in June 2024, with salary and agricultural income excluded from the computation. Applicants inside the creamy layer are treated as General category for all purposes of reservation.
- The same state-only validity. A Haryana BC certificate — either block — is valid for state government jobs, state schemes and state educational admissions. Central government jobs require a central OBC certificate. The two are not interchangeable, and recruitment notifications say so explicitly.
- A validity window. Most advertisements require the certificate to have been issued within a specified date range. Check the advertisement, not general guidance.
One admissions-specific point that catches people out: where a single reserved seat is available in an educational institution, Haryana applies a year-wise rotational system between Block A and Block B. In such cases the seat goes to one block in one academic year and the other block the next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between BC-A and BC-B in Haryana?
BC-A contains the 72 communities that were on Haryana’s Backward Classes list before 1995 and receives 16% reservation in Group C and D posts. BC-B contains 6 communities added in and after 1995 — Ahir/Yadav, Gujjar, Lodh/Lodha/Lodhi, Saini group, Meo and Gosai/Gosain/Goswami — and receives 11%. The two blocks have separately earmarked quotas and separate merit lists.
Is BC-A better than BC-B?
Neither is uniformly better. BC-A has the larger quota at 16% but far more communities sharing it — 72 entries against BC-B’s 6. Measured against population, BC-B’s 11% is roughly proportionate to its estimated share of more than 10%, while BC-A’s 16% sits below its estimated share of more than 19%. Composition matters more than the headline number.
Can I choose between BC-A and BC-B?
No. Your block is determined by your caste as notified in the official Haryana list. It is not an election. Applying under the wrong block will result in rejection of the claim, and the certificate itself specifies which block applies.
Is Saini BC-A or BC-B in Haryana?
Saini is BC-B. It is entry 4 of the Block B list, notified together with Shakya, Koeri, Kushwaha and Maurya as recognised names within the same entry. Saini was one of the four communities the Haryana Second Backward Classes Commission recommended for inclusion in its report of 24 February 1995.
Is Gujjar BC-A or BC-B in Haryana?
Gujjar is BC-B. The Haryana Second Backward Classes Commission estimated the Gujjar population at about 2.5% of the state and found the community poor and inadequately represented in state services, recommending its inclusion. It was notified into Block B on 7 June 1995.
Why is BC-A reservation 16% and not 19%?
The Commission that designed the Block A / Block B system recommended 19% for Block A and 8% for Block B, with the 19% based on its own corrected population estimate. The government’s notification of 7 June 1995 set the figures at 16% and 11% instead. The Commission’s report contains no recommendation for 16% and gives no reasoning for the reduction, since the change was made at the implementation stage.
Do BC-A and BC-B compete for the same seats?
No. Each block has a separately earmarked share of the 27%, and candidates are ranked within their own block. A BC-A candidate is never in competition with a BC-B candidate for the same reserved post or seat. This separation was the entire purpose of creating the two blocks in 1995.
Does the creamy layer rule apply to both BC-A and BC-B?
Yes, identically. The annual family income limit stands at ₹8 lakh following the June 2024 revision from ₹6 lakh, with income from salary and agriculture excluded from the computation. Candidates falling within the creamy layer are treated as General category candidates for all purposes of reservation, regardless of block.