ECI puts Haryana recruitment results on hold till polls are over

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed Haryana’s recruitment commissions to withhold the announcement of results for ongoing government recruitments until the completion of the upcoming Assembly elections.

However, the recruitment processes already initiated by the government have been permitted to continue with the recruitments initiated before the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

This decision came in response to a complaint by Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, who alleged that the Haryana government had violated the MCC during the recruitment process for 5,600 vacancies by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) and Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC).

Ramesh claimed that on August 16, the same day the Assembly elections were announced, the Haryana government issued advertisements for these vacancies, including posts for constables in the Haryana Police. Media reports also indicated that the recruitment process for these positions was set to begin on September 10. Additionally, the state government announced 76 vacancies for TGT and PTI posts in the Haryana State Services.

In response to these allegations, the Election Commission sought a detailed report from the state government and HPSC and HSSC. After reviewing the report and considering existing MCC guidelines, the Commission found no violation in the ongoing recruitment processes by HSSC and HPSC.

The Commission’s reply noted, “The selection process was initiated and necessary communications were sent by the State Government to the concerned statutory authorities much before the date of enforcement of the MCC. ”

But it directed that the results of these recruitments should not be released until the Assembly elections are concluded to ensure a level playing field and prevent any undue advantage.

“However, in order to maintain the level playing field and to ensure that no undue advantage is accrued to anyone, the Commissiorr has directed the State Government not to declare the results of these recruitments till completion of General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Haryana”, reads the reply by the Election Commission.

Reacting to the Election Commission’s directive, the BJP accused the Congress party of obstructing the recruitment process initiated by the BJP-led state government. The Haryana BJP took to social media, posting, “Attention, Youth of Haryana! Once again, Congress’s #RecruitmentBlockGang has played with the future of Haryana’s youth. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh has conspired deeply against the results of nearly 5,700 recruitments set to be released in Haryana, causing them to be halted. Congress hasn’t just blocked the recruitment results; they have blocked the future of Haryana’s youth.