Why Haryana govt has approved withdrawal of 8,600 govt job ads & what it will mean for aspirants
The Congress had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by offering jobs while the elections were in progress. Acting on this, the ECI had told the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) to halt announcing the results for the constable positions.
While all these jobs were advertised in different months of 2024, the Nayab Saini government advertised 5,600 constable posts on 16 August last year, just hours before the Election Commission of India's (ECI) announcement of the Haryana assembly elections, prompting the Congress to lodge a complaint with the ECI.
Gurugram: The Haryana government has given the go-ahead for the withdrawal of advertisements for more than 8,600 government jobs, saying they will be advertised again and filled under new Common Eligibility Test (CET) guidelines framed earlier this year, triggering fresh uncertainty among thousands of job aspirants.
Apart from the constable jobs, the Haryana government has also decided to withdraw the advertisements for 3,053 Group C job vacancies issued by the HSSC in 2024. In Haryana, Group C jobs refer to a significant category of government positions that typically involve clerical, technical, and various support roles across numerous state government departments, boards, corporations, and other government-controlled agencies.
A senior Haryana government official confirmed the decision, saying the withdrawn positions will now be filled based on the results of a fresh Common Eligibility Test (CET), the dates for which are expected to be announced soon.
Speaking to ThePrint, Bhupinder Chauhan, an HSSC member, said that while the Commission is yet to receive official communication from the government, he had learned of the impending decision.
'We, at the Commission, have gathered that the government has been receiving numerous representations from individuals and job aspirants. Since the last CET was held in 2022, many aspirants who had not attained the age of 18 at the time of the last CET but are now eligible expressed concerns about being left out and not getting a chance anytime soon. They wanted the recruitments to be done after holding a fresh CET so that they too could compete for the jobs,' Chauhan explained.
'As per my information, the government has taken a decision based on these representations. The recruitments will now be held on the basis of the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (Process of Recruitment of Group C and D posts) Rules, 2025. Under these rules, 10 times the candidates of the total number of jobs will be shortlisted, unlike four times under the earlier rules,' he added.
Himmat Singh, Chairman of the HSSC, told ThePrint that decisions regarding requisition of posts and withdrawal of advertisements lie with the government. Hence, he, as chairman of the HSSC, wasn't in a position to comment on it.
In a post on his official Instagram handle, he addressed candidates, saying, 'Dear candidates, we will soon announce the exam date for CET 2025 (Group C). Therefore, all candidates are advised to focus completely on their studies and stay away from any kind of rumours. The Commission extends its best wishes to all the upcoming examinees.'
According to HSSC rules, a person who clears the CET is considered for government jobs for 3 years from the date of result declaration. An improved score in a subsequent attempt restarts this 3-year validity period. The last CET for Group C posts was conducted in November 2022.
The government's decision to withdraw the advertisements has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition, particularly the Congress.
Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala launched a scathing attack on the BJP government, accusing it of betraying the state's youth by withdrawing thousands of Group C job vacancies.
In a blistering statement and video posted on social media X, Surjewala said: 'The BJP has scripted a film of deception, fraud, and betrayal against Haryana's youth. The writer and actor of this film is Mr. Nayab Saini, the director is Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar, and the producer is Mr. Narendra Modi. The film is titled 'Fool the People, continue fooling them'.'
'On August 14, 2024, just three hours before the assembly election announcement, Mr. Nayab Saini dangled these 8,653 jobs before the youth, promising grand dreams and even vowing not to take the CM's oath until these jobs were filled. But it was all a hollow promise. Now, Saini saunters around cracking jokes, enjoying helicopter rides, while our youth wander aimlessly, knocking on doors for a future that's been snatched away,' he added.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: BJP's Ahirwal faultline in Haryana wide open with Rao Inderjit-CM Saini faceoff in Rewari
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