Dharwad/Bengaluru, February 25, 2026: Hundreds of frustrated government job aspirants took to the streets of Dharwad on Tuesday, February 24, demanding the immediate filling of over 2.8 lakh vacant posts across various state departments. The protest, which disrupted traffic for several hours and turned tense, highlighted growing anger among unemployed youth over repeated delays in recruitment processes.
Organised under the banner of the All Karnataka State Students’ Association (AKSSA) with support from groups like the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the demonstrators marched along key stretches including Srinagar Circle and College Road, holding placards and raising slogans. Participants, many from colleges and coaching centres, cited years of postponed examinations, selection delays, and age-limit barriers that have affected their careers and families. Police intervened to restore normalcy and took several protesters, including AKSSA president R Kanthakumar, into preventive custody.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah responded swiftly with a detailed statement, taking serious note of the unrest while squarely blaming the previous BJP government for the crisis.
“When we assumed office in 2023, over 2.64 lakh government posts were vacant. This massive backlog did not arise overnight; it was the result of prolonged inaction under the previous BJP government, which failed to initiate timely recruitment or create a structured roadmap to fill the vacancies,” Siddaramaiah said.
He pointed to “recruitment irregularities and alleged corruption scandals between 2019 and 2023” during the BJP’s tenure, which he said eroded trust in the system and triggered court cases, especially over internal reservation policies. “It is deeply unfortunate that BJP opposition leaders are choosing to mislead innocent students even now to serve their narrow political interests,” the CM added.
Despite these challenges, Siddaramaiah highlighted steps taken by the Congress government: over 40,000 recruitments completed in the last 2.5 years, relaxation of the upper age limit by more than five years for upcoming notifications, and a commitment to accelerate the process in a “transparent, systematic, and time-bound manner.”
“I understand the anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty that many of our government job aspirants are experiencing. Behind every application is a dream, a family’s hope… your concerns are heard, and your future matters deeply to us,” he said, urging aspirants to continue their preparation with patience.
The BJP hit back sharply. State BJP president B Y Vijayendra accused Siddaramaiah of “misleading” the public on recruitment numbers and failing to deliver on promises to youth. Opposition leader R Ashoka claimed the Congress government had ignored finance department approvals for thousands of posts and was “anti-youth.” JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy also criticised the delays, noting around 2.94 lakh vacancies alongside widespread unemployment.
The Dharwad protest is the latest in a series of agitations by job aspirants in Karnataka. The government has promised to strengthen recruitment institutions to prevent future backlogs, but protesters have warned of intensified action — including a possible siege of the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru — if vacancies are not filled quickly.
The episode underscores the political tug-of-war over youth employment in the state ahead of future electoral battles.
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