West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on 23 May announced a mandatory OMR sheet carbon-copy policy for all state recruitment examinations, pledging to dismantle what he described as a deeply entrenched culture of hiring corruption inherited from the previous government. The announcement came at a government-organised job fair at Sealdah in central Kolkata.

The OMR Carbon-Copy Mandate

Addressing candidates and officials at the fair, Chief Minister Adhikari declared that every candidate appearing for a state recruitment test must henceforth receive a carbon copy of their OMR answer sheet. “Carbon copies should be provided to every young man and woman candidate. So far, even though the exams were conducted using the OMR system, carbon copies were not provided. These words — nepotism, corruption — originate from here. So from now on, carbon copies will be provided,” he said.

The move is designed to give candidates an independently verifiable record of their responses, closing a loophole that critics allege was exploited to manipulate scores in earlier recruitment cycles.

New Recruitment Policy on the Anvil

Adhikari indicated that a comprehensive new recruitment policy is being drafted and may be tabled in the state Assembly during the next Budget Session. He said the policy would guarantee transparency across written examinations, academic scoring, and oral interviews, with no scope for discretionary additional marks.

Specifically, the government is considering capping marks in the oral examination component, a segment that reportedly became a key instrument of patronage under the previous administration. Adhikari alleged that even candidates who did not qualify on merit were awarded inflated oral-exam scores to secure appointments.

Reservation Violations Alleged Against Previous Government

The Chief Minister also alleged that constitutional reservation norms were not followed during the tenure of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. He claimed that candidates from SC, ST, original OBC, and specially-abled categories were denied their rightful quota benefits, further distorting the recruitment process.

“The rules were not followed even in the reservation of SC, ST, original OBC, and specially-abled candidates,” Adhikari stated, framing the alleged violations as a constitutional breach rather than a mere administrative lapse.

Context: The 26,000 Teaching Jobs Scandal

The announcements come against the backdrop of a judicial order cancelling approximately 26,000 teaching appointments in West Bengal — one of the largest recruitment cancellations in Indian state history — after courts found evidence of irregularities and payments for posts. The controversy severely damaged the previous government’s credibility on public employment and became a central issue in the recent state election.

Adhikari also claimed that central agencies, including the Railways and paramilitary forces, had grown wary of West Bengal’s recruitment environment as a result of the state’s track record, though he offered no specific evidence for this assertion.

What Comes Next

The government’s stated goal is a 100 per cent corruption-free recruitment framework. With the Budget Session approaching, the Assembly floor will be the next test of whether the new administration can translate these commitments into enforceable legislation. Candidates, civil society groups, and opposition parties will be watching whether the OMR carbon-copy rule and oral-exam caps are backed by independent oversight mechanisms or remain policy declarations.