5 min readDehradunJul 16, 2026 02:09 PM IST
First published on: Jul 16, 2026 at 02:09 PM IST
With Rahul Gandhi set to address students and young aspirants in Dehradun on Friday as part of the Congress’s Chhatron ki Goonj outreach campaign, the Uttarakhand unit sees it as an opportunity to rejuvenate its organisation and reconnect with a constituency aggrieved by recurring paper leak scandals and rising unemployment ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Gandhi’s visit marks one of his few engagements in Uttarakhand in recent years, and state Congress leaders hope it will help revive an organisation that has struggled electorally for nearly a decade.
A rally planned in Almora in June was cancelled because of inclement weather. His distance from the state unit was also highlighted in May, when a man posing as his private secretary allegedly duped Congress leaders by promising election tickets in exchange for money.
Senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana alleged that the government was apprehensive about the response to Friday’s programme. “While the event was not intended as a political rally, it could help the Congress regain lost ground in the state. There is anger because BJP leaders have been arrested in paper leak cases here. That reflects the political patronage of the accused. We have met the family of Riya Thapa (NEET aspirant who allegedly died by suicide), and for the first time in Uttarakhand, public anger is finding organised political expression,” he added.
Although the Congress had sought permission to organise the event at Parade Ground — also the site of protests over recruitment exam paper leaks last September — the party says the municipal corporation withdrew permission, citing another event at the venue.
“The way Gandhi engages with the youth on issues such as NEET, the need to overhaul the education system and unemployment worries the government. We had paid for the venue for three days, yet permission was withdrawn. It sets a worrying precedent in a democracy,” he said.
Accusing the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led BJP government of attempting to disrupt the programme, the Congress has shifted the event to Bannu School Ground in the city. Party leaders claim online registrations have crossed two lakh and allege the BJP feared a large turnout, prompting the change in venue.
The BJP, however, said the Congress’s original application for Parade Ground did not mention Gandhi’s participation. State BJP president Mahendra Bhatt said the Union government had extended the Lok Sanvardhan Parv at the venue by two days because cultural programmes could not be held during the period of national mourning.
The outreach programme comes as the Congress seeks to build on public discontent over the recent NEET paper leak controversy. Following the death of Thapa, Congress leaders visited her family, held press conferences and staged protests demanding accountability.
Past protests over leaks
The state has also witnessed repeated protests over alleged paper leaks in its own recruitment examinations. Last September, demonstrations erupted over allegations that the question paper for an examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) had been leaked. As protests intensified, Dhami met youth representatives and agreed to their demand for a CBI inquiry.
In 2023, another wave of protests followed allegations that question papers for the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC) patwari and accountant recruitment examination had been sold to aspirants, forcing the cancellation of the examination. The BJP government subsequently introduced a legislation to curb cheating in recruitment examinations.
In 2021, following a UKSSSC recruitment examination, for which around 1.6 lakh candidates appeared and 916 were selected for appointments across government departments, representatives of unemployed youth organisations met the Chief Minister alleging irregularities. Investigations found that more than 50 candidates had benefited from leaked question papers, while several other selections were deemed suspicious.
Among those arrested was BJP member and Uttarkashi district panchayat member Hakam Singh Rawat, who was accused of taking money from candidates in exchange for solved question papers. Rawat was arrested again days before a UKSSSC recruitment examination in 2025 after being accused of seeking money from aspirants in return for helping them clear the test.
Congress strategy
The Congress has sought to link these controversies with wider concerns over unemployment and migration from the hill districts. During last year’s protests, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat backed the agitating youth, raising the slogan, “Paper chor, gaddi chhod”, and likened paper leaks to “vote theft”, saying both robbed young people of their future.
The party has also invoked the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist allegedly killed by a resort owner linked to the BJP, as emblematic of the insecurity faced by young people in the state’s informal workforce.
The BJP, however, accused the Congress of exploiting the issue for political gain. Party media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said the Congress was trying to provoke young people because it lacked public support in the state. “The people of Uttarakhand are nationalistic. Gandhi, who is known for tarnishing India’s image abroad, will find little sympathy here,” he said.
The outreach programme comes as the Congress seeks to build on public discontent over the recent NEET paper leak controversy. (Photo: X/@RahulGandhi) 
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