Bengaluru: Fresh controversy erupted over Karnataka’s police recruitment process on August 2, after alleged irregularities during the written examination for 3,991 Civil Police Constable posts triggered protests from candidates at multiple centres. The BJP accused has the Congress government of repeatedly failing to conduct recruitment examinations smoothly. At the same time, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka demanded the resignation of Home Minister Priyank Kharge, holding him morally responsible for the alleged lapses.
The statewide recruitment examination, one of the largest police recruitment drives undertaken by the State government in recent years, concluded amid complaints of administrative confusion at several examination centres.
Candidates at some locations alleged delays in distributing question papers. In contrast, others claimed there were mismatches between OMR answer sheets and question paper serial numbers, leading to anxiety and disruption during the examination.
ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ನೇಮಕಾತಿ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ,
ಮತ್ತೊಮ್ಮೆ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವೈಫಲ್ಯ.
ಮಗದೊಮ್ಮೆ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಯುವಕರ ಭವಿಷ್ಯದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಚೆಲ್ಲಾಟ ಆಡಿದ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರ.ವಿಜಯಪುರದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಕಾನ್ಸ್ಟೇಬಲ್ ನೇಮಕಾತಿ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಪತ್ರಿಕೆ ವಿತರಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಳಂಬ, OMR ಶೀಟ್ಗಳ ಗೊಂದಲ ಹಾಗೂ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳು ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಿಂದ… pic.twitter.com/c5tsWflB59
— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) August 2, 2026
The issue first surfaced in Vijayapura, where candidates alleged that question papers were distributed late and OMR sheets did not correspond with the allotted question paper numbers. The confusion reportedly forced several candidates to spend valuable examination time seeking clarification from invigilators, while some walked out of the examination hall alleging unfair treatment.
Similar allegations later emerged from Haveri and Hassan, where candidates claimed discrepancies involving OMR sheets and question paper numbers. Although district authorities later attempted to clarify the situation and maintained that the examination process had been conducted in accordance with prescribed procedures, the controversy quickly snowballed into a political issue.
Launching a sharp attack on the Congress government, R. Ashoka accused the administration of once again playing with the future of thousands of aspirants who had spent years preparing for the highly competitive recruitment examination.
In a post on social media, Ashoka described the episode as “another recruitment examination and yet another failure of the Congress government,” alleging that the State had failed to ensure a transparent and professionally managed recruitment process.
He said the confusion witnessed at the Vijayapura examination centre reflected “complete administrative failure and inexcusable negligence.” According to him, the government had betrayed the aspirations of thousands of young candidates by subjecting them to uncertainty despite their years of preparation.
Ashoka demanded that Home Minister Priyank Kharge accept moral responsibility for the alleged lapses and immediately resign from the Cabinet.
“The government has given candidates confusion, administrative incompetence and shattered dreams instead of a fair opportunity,” he said, adding that accountability was essential whenever recruitment examinations affecting thousands of unemployed youth were mishandled.
The BJP leader further urged the government to cancel the examination conducted at the affected centres and organise a re-examination to ensure that no candidate was disadvantaged because of procedural errors.
He also called for an independent inquiry into the reported irregularities and sought stringent action against officials found responsible for any lapses in the conduct of the examination.
Addressing Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar directly, Ashoka urged him to ensure justice for the candidates and take immediate corrective measures.
The Opposition leader also referred to media reports highlighting alleged confusion in Hassan after similar complaints had earlier emerged from Vijayapura and Haveri.
“One after another, reports are emerging about OMR sheet and question paper mismatches. Despite these repeated incidents, the Home Minister continues to remain silent. This is unacceptable,” Ashoka said.
He argued that recurring controversies surrounding recruitment examinations were eroding the confidence of unemployed youth in the government’s ability to conduct transparent selection processes.
