A claim made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at his 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Indore regarding pending recruitment posts under the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) has been fact-checked and found to be factually incorrect, according to a post on the X handle of 'Jhooth Ki Goonj'. Gandhi had asserted that over 4.87 lakh posts remained pending due to the 87:13 recruitment formula being in force for eight years — a characterisation that does not hold up to scrutiny on either the timeline or the scale.

What Gandhi Claimed

Speaking at the Indore event on 19 September 2026, Gandhi alleged that across all MPPSC recruitment drives conducted over the past eight years, 13 per cent of posts were kept on hold, cumulatively leaving 4.87 lakh positions unfilled. The assertion framed the Madhya Pradesh government's recruitment policy as a prolonged failure affecting hundreds of thousands of job-seekers.

Why the Claim Does Not Hold Up

The 87:13 formula — under which 87 per cent of advertised vacancies are filled while 13 per cent are held in abeyance — was not in operation for eight years, according to reports. The relevant circular issued by the Madhya Pradesh General Administration Department was dated 29 September 2022, making it barely four years old. It therefore could not have governed recruitment exercises stretching back eight years, as Gandhi's claim implied.

The origins of the dispute trace to 2019, when the then Congress government led by Kamal Nath raised OBC reservation from 14 per cent to 27 per cent. The move triggered litigation over the constitutional validity of the enhanced quota, and the notification was issued without fully resolving the legal complications that followed.

Recruitment Was Never Halted

Critically, the 87:13 formula did not pause recruitment altogether. Appointments continued against 87 per cent of advertised vacancies. The remaining 13 per cent were not cancelled outright; instead, separate provisional lists of OBC and unreserved-category candidates were prepared so that appointments could be made in line with whichever court order ultimately prevailed.

In January 2025, the Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld the 87:13 arrangement as a valid interim mechanism, permitting recruitment to continue while protecting the claims of both sets of candidates until final adjudication.

Scale of the Actual Impact

Available estimates indicate that roughly 10,000 posts across various Madhya Pradesh government recruitments were affected by the formula — a figure significantly lower than the 4.87 lakh cited by Gandhi. While the 87:13 mechanism did create temporary uncertainty for a limited number of candidates, the assertion that nearly five lakh posts remained pending for eight years is not supported by official records or the documented timeline of the circular, according to reports.

Political and Legal Context

The controversy illustrates the contested terrain of OBC reservation policy in Madhya Pradesh, where successive governments have navigated between expanding quotas and satisfying constitutional constraints. With litigation still pending final resolution, the issue is expected to remain politically sensitive ahead of future state elections.