Lucknow: With unemployment emerging as a politically sensitive issue after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Yogi Adityanath government is preparing a large-scale recruitment drive to provide government jobs to nearly two lakh youths in 2026, the year leading into the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The planned appointments will include vacancies advertised in 2025 and fresh selections to be rolled out in the coming months. Recruitment advertisements are to be issued through the Public Service Commission, Subordinate Services Selection Commission, Education Service Selection Commission and the Police Recruitment and Promotion Board, with the police and education departments expected to account for the bulk of the hiring.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has begun personally reviewing the functioning of all major recruitment bodies and has directed departments to immediately send requisitions for vacant posts. Officials said advertisements for around 1.5 lakh new posts are likely, while more than 20,000 pending recruitments will be completed before mid-2026.
The recruitment push follows the BJP’s mixed performance in Uttar Pradesh during the 2024 general elections, when the opposition aggressively targeted the government over unemployment, alleged paper leaks and delays in examinations. Youth dissatisfaction is widely believed to have played a role in shaping the electoral outcome.
“Unemployment has become one of the most politically sensitive issues for any ruling party, particularly in a state like Uttar Pradesh where the youth population is very high. For the government, tackling joblessness is no longer just a governance challenge but an electoral necessity. If young voters feel opportunities are shrinking, it directly impacts the credibility of the regime,” said political analyst Rajendra Kumar.
He further said: “Unemployment cuts across caste, community and region. It is one of the few issues that unites the youth electorate and no ruling dispensation can ignore Gen Z”.
The government claims that around 8.5 lakh government jobs have been provided over the past eight and a half years. The current target is to add another 1.5 lakh appointments in the next 15 months, taking the overall figure close to 10 lakh ahead of the 2027 contest.
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Recent moves underline the urgency. The government replaced the chairperson of the Education Service Selection Commission, appointed former DGP Prashant Kumar to lead it, announced recruitment of over 41,000 home guards in 2026, and cleared major advertisements including nearly 8,000 lekhpal posts.
However, the lekhpal recruitment has already sparked controversy over OBC reservation, with the Samajwadi Party alleging under-allocation. Sources said departments have begun rechecking reservation rosters, highlighting the political and legal sensitivities surrounding the recruitment drive.
Officials concede that meeting the targets will depend on swift vacancy assessment, smooth conduct of examinations, prevention of paper leaks and avoiding prolonged court cases — all factors that could determine whether the recruitment push translates into political dividends before the 2027 polls.
