What Dharwad protests tell us about Karnataka’s huge hiring crisis

On the one hand, government departments are struggling to function without adequate staff, but on the other, scores of educated young people are being forced to take to the streets demanding employment. And caught between administrative delays, legal disputes, and relentless political point-scoring, Karnataka is sitting on a staggering 2,84,881 vacant government posts.

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When vacancies in corporations, universities, and contractual positions are factored in, the total swells to 4,00,978 unfilled posts. The strain on existing staff is immense. Of the 2.84 lakh vacancies, the bulk fall in Grade C (1,66,021 posts) and Grade D (77,614 posts). Though around 37,000 positions have been filled on a contractual basis, temporary hires are no substitute for permanent staff, and the workload on those in service has grown unsustainable.

The government had approved the filling of 56,000 posts in the current financial year, but even as the year is nearing its end, the recruitment process has yet to begin. Job-seekers are now pinning their hopes on the 2026-27 Budget to not only push through those 56,000 appointments but also fund a total of one lakh recruitments.

Taking to the streets

On Wednesday (February 25), scores of young people poured onto the streets of Dharwad, demanding that vacant government posts be filled without further delay.

Thousands of aspirants from villages across the state are living in paying-guest accommodations and hostels, preparing for competitive exams, yet recruitment notifications from major departments, including the KPSC and the police, have not been issued. Students warned that if the government fails to make firm commitments, the agitation will intensify and spread statewide.

Their demands are clear: Publish pending recruitment exam results immediately, issue fresh notifications, and protect the interests of candidates who are fast approaching the upper age limit.

The recruitment quagmire

Physical education teacher posts have seen no recruitment in 15 years. The forest department has not hired in five years; agriculture in eight; horticulture in seven; police sub-inspectors in five; sub-registrars in 10; and the excise department in nine years. The numbers tell the story plainly — of the roughly 2,58,000 sanctioned posts in 2024, not a single one was filled through recruitment.

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Currently, the education department has 79,694 vacancies, health and family welfare has 37,572, the home department (including police) has 28,188, higher education has 13,599, revenue has 10,867, and rural development and panchayat raj has 10,504.

The government has set a target of filling around 56,000 posts in 2026. The Finance Department has already initiated the first phase covering 24,300 appointments, with priority being given to filling over 30,000 backlog and vacant posts in the Kalyana Karnataka region. However, the process has yet to reach the stage of distributing appointment letters. Early 2026 has seen the KPSC invite applications for Group A and B posts, as well as Village Administrative Officer (VAO) positions, among others.

K Satish, state vice-president of the Government Employees' Association, told The Federal Karnataka: "With 2.84 lakh posts vacant, a single government employee is being made to handle three roles. It has become an enormous burden, and work is getting delayed as a result. The government must fill these vacancies as soon as possible and create opportunities for young people."

Lost in blame game

While the crisis deepens, both the ruling party and the Opposition remain preoccupied with trading accusations. The Congress government blames the previous BJP administration, claiming its mismanagement caused the backlog of vacancies to pile up.

The BJP, in turn, points the finger squarely at the Congress. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issued a press statement claiming his government had created 40,000 posts, while opposition leaders came armed with their own lists from the BJP era, insisting that the Congress has not created a single post since coming to power.

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Meanwhile, legal challenges have poured cold water on the recruitment process. Several petitions were filed in the High Court opposing the government's move to conduct recruitments under its 56 per cent reservation policy. The court stayed the orders, directing that if recruitments were to proceed, they must be conducted under the 50% reservation ceiling.

This ruling has made the government wary of initiating fresh recruitments. Add to that a string of controversies — question paper leaks, evaluation errors, and violations of reservation norms — and it is little wonder that most recruitments have ended up mired in litigation.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka.)