Asit Vora, the chairman of the Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board (GSSSB), which conducted the test, resigned on Monday, months after a row over the leakage of a question paper from an examination held for the recruitment of government head clerks, the ruling BJP said
However, the BJP, which announced Vora’s resignation as a political figure, was quick to point out that his decision had nothing to do with the GSSSB’s handling of the paper leak incident, which had drawn widespread criticism.
Vora met Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel at Gandhinagar and tendered his resignation from the post of GSSSB chairman, said Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yagnesh Dave. “Vora’s resignation has to do nothing with the paper leak case. A total of six chairpersons of various boards and corporations, including Vora, have resigned today as part of the BJP’s organisational restructuring ahead of the Assembly polls (likely in 2022-end). Some chairpersons had resigned from their posts a month back,” claimed Dave.
Since the leak of the question paper in December last year, and the subsequent cancellation of the already held exam, the opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, as well as student leaders, have called for Vora’s resignation.
Vora, a senior BJP leader and former mayor of Ahmedabad, was re-appointed as chairman of the key recruitment body in September last year for a second term.
Notably, GSSSB recently announced to conduct a fresh written test for the recruitment of head clerks on March 20. The board chairman’s resignation came amid the opposition accusation that the ruling BJP is “playing with the future of the unemployed youth by shielding the real culprits (of paper leak)”.
The written exam for the recruitment of 186 head clerks was conducted at centres across Gujarat on December 12 by GSSSB with nearly 88,000 aspirants appearing for the test. However, the exam was cancelled after the paper leak episode came to light.
The Sabarkantha police had in December said it had arrested 18 persons, including candidates who bought the leaked paper, in connection with the case.
The issue of paper leak surfaced a day after the exam was conducted when Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) unit’s youth wing leader Yuvrajsinh Jadeja alleged that the question paper was leaked prior to the exam. As proof, he had shared a photograph of a notebook page having handwritten answers of some of the questions asked in the exam. His claims were found to be true during a police probe.
The question paper was acquired from the supervisor of a printing press that had received the printing contract and sold to over 15 candidates, as well as assisting them in solving the paper at various locations a day before the exam, according to police investigations.