Rajasthan has over 22 lakh first-time voters in the upcoming assembly elections. These young voters have the potential to disrupt the status quo for the incumbent Congress government, which has grappled with a concerning pattern of over 12 instances of paper leaks over the past five years. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keen on leveraging this issue to appeal to these newly eligible voters.

Both the Congress and the BJP, who have taken turns governing the state for the last 12 years, have faced their share of paper leak incidents. Both parties maintain that they've taken rigorous measures to address the problem.

The present Congress administration demolished a five-story building, which was being used by one of the suspects involved in a paper leak scandal to run coaching classes. This action followed a paper leak incident for a teacher's recruitment exam in December. Congress has portrayed this as a manifestation of its zero-tolerance stance towards such scams. However, students view it as a mere symbolic gesture.

In the run-up to the state assembly elections, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated raids on various Congress leaders, including Govind Singh Dotasara, the chief of Rajasthan Congress. While Congress acknowledges these scandals, they contend that the ED's actions are politically motivated.

Sachin Pilot, an MLA and Congress leader, questioned the timing of the ED's actions, saying, "Paper leaks are unacceptable, and one cannot toy with the futures of young people. But why did they remain inactive for the past five years and suddenly began raiding our people once the elections were announced?"

The BJP is strategically positioning the paper leak incidents during the Congress' tenure as a potential pathway to electoral victory. BJP leader Col Rajyavardhan Rathore asserted, "If we are re-elected, we will take decisive action against those responsible."

Investigative agencies reveal that these leaked papers were being sold for sums ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹15 lakh. With over 22 lakh first-time voters in play, the handling of the paper leak scandal and its impact on the electorate could significantly influence the prospects of the incumbent Congress party.

Paper leak controversy

A year after the Congress came to power, the recruitment exam for grade-III librarians was cancelled in December 2019 over a leaked question paper.

In September 2021, seven persons were arrested for allegedly leaking the question paper of the sub-inspector recruitment examination. In the same month, the government suspended internet across Rajasthan to prevent cheating during the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) -levels I and II examinations.

In December 2022, the second-grade teacher recruitment examination was cancelled after the question paper was leaked.

First Published:Nov 9, 2023 12:07 AM IST