Ahead Of Uttar Pradesh Bypolls, Yogi Adityanath Faces A 'Youth' Challenge

UPPCS Protest: Amid the bypolls contest, the Yogi Adityanath government is facing a challenge which the BJP was not anticipating at this time.

UPPCS Protest: In Uttar Pradesh, bypolls for nine seats are set to be held on November 20 while campaigning is going on at a full pace. Amid the bypolls contest, the Yogi Adityanath government is facing a challenge which the BJP was not anticipating at this time. Thousands of aspirants including female canddiates joined the protest against the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission on Tuesday. 

For the second consecutive day, candidates continue their protest outside the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC). Multiple rounds of discussions between the candidates, the commission, and the police administration have ended without any resolution. The commission has asked candidates to suggest ways to address discrepancies, but the candidates remain firm in their demand that the exam be conducted on a single day and in a single shift. Some female candidates have stated that they will only leave once the commission withdraws its decision to hold the exam over two days. 

Candidates insist they won’t back down until their demands are met, alleging that there are ongoing efforts to suppress their movement, including police teams being sent to their homes. Last night, the District Magistrate (DM) and Police Commissioner also visited the protest site outside the UPPSC to try to persuade the students to end their protest. Despite these discussions, the candidates refuse to step back until their demands are fully met. They demand that the examination be held on a single day, as advertised, opposing the commission's rule change after the advertisement.

Meanwhile, the UPPSC has issued a statement explaining the normalization formula and how it will be implemented. According to this statement, due to a shortage of exam centres that meet the required standards, the exam has to be conducted in multiple shifts. It also mentions that the normalization formula has been approved by the Supreme Court based on expert recommendations in various cases.

As the students continue to protest, the opposition has got a chance to corner the ruling party. Amid the protests, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav quipped, "Will BJP apply the normalization formula even in the elections being held on different days? Parents today say, we don't want BJP. When BJP will go, jobs will come."

In another post on X, Yadav said, "It is ridiculous that the BJP, which has made the social, economic and political conditions of the country and the state 'abnormal', is talking about 'normalization'. This is a bad joke on the present of the youth, forget about the future."

These youth hail from different parts of the state and are voters as well. If their grievances are not resolved, it might impact bypolls as well. Now, CM Yogi Adityanath is facing a dual challenge - one to stop the paper leaks and another to find a way out to end the ongoing protest.