Uttar Pradesh job bonanza? Yogi govt plans mega push before 2027 polls

• UP govt plans 2 lakh govt jobs for youth ahead of 2027 Assembly polls
• Most jobs to be in police and education departments, focus on pending vacancies
• Recruitment aims to address unemployment, a key issue in recent elections

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Ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Yogi Adityanath government is preparing to provide government jobs to nearly two lakh youths during the election year 2026. The proposed recruitments will include vacancies advertised in 2025 as well as fresh selections to be announced in the coming months.

Taking lessons from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where unemployment emerged as a major issue, the state government has stepped up efforts to reach out to the youth. Recruitment advertisements are being planned through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission, Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission and the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board. Officials said the highest number of recruitments will be in the police and education departments.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently chaired a high-level meeting on recruitments and directed all departments to immediately send requisitions for vacant posts to the concerned recruitment boards and commissions. During the initial review, it was found that advertisements for around 1.5 lakh new posts are likely to be issued, while more than 20,000 pending recruitments will be completed in the coming period.

The state government claims that over the past eight and a half years, around 8.5 lakh youths have been given government jobs. Officials said the government now aims to provide government employment to about 1.5 lakh more youths in the next one and a quarter years. If achieved, this will take the total number of government jobs provided in a decade to 10 lakh, a figure the government says has not been matched by any previous administration in the state.

According to official data, the highest number of recruitments under the Yogi government have taken place in the education and police departments, with around 2.19 lakh appointments made so far in these two sectors.

Unemployment political issue:

Unemployment had become a key issue during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with the opposition raising questions over joblessness and alleged paper leaks. It is widely believed that youth dissatisfaction played a significant role in the BJP’s performance in that election. Against this backdrop, the government has accelerated the recruitment process more than a year ahead of the Assembly polls.

“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 chief minister is personally reviewing the functioning of the Public Service Commission, the Subordinate Services Selection Commission, the Education Service Selection Commission and the Police Recruitment Board. The focus is on ensuring that all pending recruitments are completed by June 2026 and that applications for new vacancies are processed swiftly, sending a clear signal that government hiring is underway.

Sources said the government may also consider additional recruitments in some departments after assessing the political situation following the 2026 panchayat elections and the broader electoral mood ahead of the Assembly polls.

The Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission, which was constituted over two years ago, has not functioned in line with the government’s expectations. Recently, the government accepted the resignation of commission chairperson Dr Kirti Pandey and appointed former Director General of Police Prashant Kumar as the new chairman.

Recruitment of 41,424 home guards is also scheduled in 2026. Applications for these posts were accepted till December 17, and officials said the recruitment process is expected to be completed by July 2026.

The recruitment push gained further momentum after the Subordinate Services Selection Commission recently issued an advertisement for 7,994 lekhpal posts. Of these, 4,165 posts are for the general category, 1,441 for OBCs, 792 for EWS, 1,446 for Scheduled Castes and 150 for Scheduled Tribes.

However, the advertisement has triggered a political row, with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleging that OBC candidates should have received 27 percent reservation, translating into 2,158 posts, but were given only 18 percent. Following the controversy, sources said several departments have begun re-examining reservation calculations in the requisitions sent to the Public Service Commission and the Subordinate Services Selection Commission.

Despite the ambitious plan, officials acknowledge that the government faces multiple challenges in filling vacant posts. These include timely assessment of vacancies by departments, prompt issuance of advertisements by recruitment bodies, completion of examinations on schedule, prevention of paper leaks and cheating, timely interviews and ensuring that recruitment processes do not get stalled due to prolonged litigation in the High Court or Supreme Court.