When Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took office in 2017, more than 1.5 lakh teacher posts sat vacant across the state — a number that had ballooned, he now says, because his predecessors were busy filling the education commission with family members and selling seats to the highest bidder.

Posting on X on Monday, October 12, 2026, the Chief Minister drew a sharp contrast between what he calls the BJP government's merit-based recruitment drive and the alleged pay-to-play culture of the Samajwadi Party era. In his words: 'When we came in 2017, more than 1.5 lakh teacher posts were vacant in the state. We started the appointment process and everyone was selected fairly. The Samajwadi Party used to fill the education commission with all their relatives, and selection happened in exchange for money.'

1.5 Lakh Vacancies and the Recruitment Drive That Followed

The scale of the vacancy figure — over 150,000 posts — underlines how acute the staffing crisis in UP's government school system had become by the time the BJP assumed power. Chief Minister Adityanath claims his government moved systematically to address the backlog, launching a structured appointment process that he describes as free from favouritism and financial transactions.

The assertion carries political weight in a state where teacher recruitment controversies — delayed merit lists, court battles over selection criteria, and allegations of irregularities — have been a recurring flashpoint. By foregrounding the sheer number of positions filled, the Chief Minister is staking a governance record on transparency in public-sector hiring.

The Attack on SP's Education Commission Track Record

The second half of the post is a direct political charge: that the Samajwadi Party packed the state's education commission with relatives and monetised appointments. This kind of nepotism-and-corruption narrative — sifaarish aur paisoN ka khel (the game of recommendations and money) — has been a staple of UP's inter-party combat for years, and Adityanath is deploying it with specific institutional detail, naming the education commission rather than making a vague general claim.

The timing, on a working Monday in mid-October, suggests the remarks may be part of a broader political address or campaign event rather than a standalone social-media post — the video attached to the post likely carries the fuller speech context.

Education Hiring as a BJP Governance Metric

For the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, teacher appointments have become one of the most tangible 'delivery' arguments the party makes to voters, particularly in rural constituencies where a government school job carries enormous social weight. By anchoring the claim in a hard number — 1.5 lakh — and contrasting it with the SP's alleged practices, Adityanath is turning a bureaucratic process into an election-ready proof point.

Whether the opposition contests the figures or the characterisation of their tenure will determine how far this exchange travels — but the Chief Minister has clearly decided that UP's classrooms are fertile political ground.