Deputy Leader of Opposition Arvind Bellad and AKSSA President Kanthakumar at a joint press conference in Hubballi on Wednesday. | Photo credit: KIRAN BAKALE
All Karnataka State Students Association (AKSSA) president Kanthakumar urged the state government to immediately address the large vacancies in government departments and announce a clear schedule for recruitment.
Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Wednesday, he said this was not the first time the association had staged a protest. He added that demonstrations had taken place before.
He said that 2.94 lakh posts remain vacant in 43 government departments.
He said the state government had earlier promised to fill one million vacancies within one year of coming to power, but there has been no significant recruitment even after three years.
Instead of merely giving reasons and delaying the process, the state government should publish a clear calendar of recruitment drives, he said.
Mr. Kanthakumar noted that though protests were organized earlier, the state government did not take them seriously and forced the association to organize a large-scale agitation.
Referring to the finance ministry’s approval to fill up 56,000 posts, he demanded that the state government immediately release the calendar of events for the recruitment.
“If a decision is not taken within a week, students and various associations across the state, irrespective of political affiliation, will intensify the agitation, including a foot march from Dharwad to Bengaluru,” he said.
He said the organization turned to the opposition after it was denied a permit to protest on Tuesday.
All Karnataka State Students’ Associations will continue their struggle for recruitment to the vacancies, he added.
Asked why similar protests did not take place when the previous government’s promise to provide two million jobs remained pending, he replied that the association had submitted a statement and raised the issue even then. He also sought to justify the shortcomings of the previous government, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the leak of the PSI investigation document as factors that affected the recruitment process.
Published – 25 February 2026 20:50 IST
