Hailing from a conservative neighbourhood in Jabalpur, 22-year-old Karuna Vishwakarma has been resisting the pressure from her family to get married. Even though her parents have stood by her side, they ask her one question: when will her exams finally be conducted? “I am supposed to be in the final year of her BSc Nursing course and yet remain in the first year. My family has paid Rs 70,000 in my first year in 2020. I don’t understand why the exams stopped. I now work at a diagnostic centre and earn Rs 8,000. If things head this way, the young people of Madhya Pradesh will become beggars. How will the state move forward?” she asks. This is because her college is under CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in more than 600 nursing colleges. Both the BJP and the Congress have tried hard to reach out to young voters, of whom 22.36 lakh will exercise franchise for the first time. In a state where a big chunk of the economy is agrarian, the young usually migrate to big cities in hopes of a job. This makes unemployment, which has fuelled resentment among these young voters, a major electoral issue. Adding to their anger are a broken examination system and unregulated colleges. Here are some recent examples: August 27, 2021: Three recruitment exams conducted by the MP Professional Exam Board (MPPEB) — Senior Agricultural Extension Officer, Rural Agricultural Extension Officer, and Nursing Recruitment — were cancelled. In its aftermath, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra said a "question paper was leaked" after the "online system was hacked”. February 8, 2023: The second of a two-part exam to recruit contract nurses under the National Health Mission was cancelled hours after the question paper was found to have been leaked. July 12: Allegations surfaced of large-scale examination rigging at a test centre owned by sitting Bhind MLA Sanjeev Kushwaha of the BJP. Seven of the 10 toppers of an exam for the post of Patwari (revenue officer) were found to have been from the centre. The BJP dropped the MLA following a political storm and protests by aspirants protested in Bhopal and Indore. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan also ordered a judicial enquiry into the incident. September 20: The Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the CBI to probe all 670 nursing colleges registered in 2020-’21 in the state amid allegations of large-scale irregularities in the functioning of higher educational institutions. The petitioner in the case, Vishal Singh, told The Indian Express that the state government "gave recognition to 55 nursing colleges that were found to be ghost colleges without any infrastructure and faculties”. According to data on joblessness presented in the MP Assembly in March, 39,93,149 people registered themselves at employment offices in the state. To tackle unemployment, the BJP is banking on schemes it recently introduced such as the Seekho Kamao (learn and earn) scheme for unemployed youths that offers stipends based on qualification. Among the Congress’s promises to young voters are an IPL cricket team, an artificial intelligence centre, an unemployment allowance, and skilled development programmes. Stories of disillusionment For many young voters, exams are a crucial lifeline to prosperity, and for some doubts about their veracity can set them back. Atul Yadav, 25, did not get enough marks to qualify for the Patwari examination. But the question mark raised about the examination has broken his spirit. Coming from a family of farmers from Morena, he is now resigned to a life as a security guard. "Everyone grows up and becomes a security guard or a farmer. I am doing the same. I had a different dream but do not want to pursue it anymore. Sab fixed hai, kya fayda (everything is fixed, what's the point)?” he says. Deepesh Namdeo, 27, from Chhindwara got 142.4 marks in the Patwari exams. But he is not waiting for a broken system to be fixed. “I took the MP police exams and am confident of getting through. You should not expect anything from the government. The only hope is that they streamline the process so that from exam to appointment takes place in nine months and doesn't get stuck for three years.” Devender, 28, from Sehore lost out on the Senior Agricultural Extension Officer exam by a few marks. "There is no family support at my home. I am getting old now. If the government changes and does something, I will try or do a private job. The government should work on vacancies, why should two lakh people apply for 3,000 jobs?” Anuj Shrivastava, 33, from Gwalior is furious about the alleged irregularities in the Patwari exams. He has resigned to a life as a farmer. “Everything will go cold in the High Court. Congress makes promises and loses its government. There is no mood to vote for the BJP. We are stuck with two bad options," he says. Hoshangabad resident Praveen Dubey, 26, is supposed to be in the fourth year of his BSc Nursing course. However, after his first year examinations stopped. "We had no faculty and my seniors taught me what they could. I had paid over Rs 80,000. This year, the CBI came knocking. Now, our entire futures are at stake. I work at a clinic and earn Rs 3,000 per month. Our futures are shrouded in the dark,” he says.
