LUCKNOW, June 8 -- As Uttar Pradesh gears up for one of the country's largest police recruitment examinations on June 8, 9 and 10, the state government is out to ensure that the successful template of the August 2024 re-test, which was held six months after a question paper leak controversy, still holds firm. The examination, one of the biggest in the country, will be conducted in run-up to the 2027 UP assembly elections. With government jobs continuing to be a politically sensitive issue among young voters, the examination's success or failure could have implications far beyond recruitment at a time when several tests, including the NEET-UG paper leak, the CBSE Class 12 on-screen marking controversy and glitches in the CUET (Common University Entrance Test), among others, have been under the lens. The written examination for recruitment to 32,679 constable civil police and equivalent posts will be conducted at 1,183 centres across all 75 districts of the state. According to Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB) chairman SB Shiradkar, 28,86,797 candidates have registered for the examination, making it one of the largest recruitment exercises undertaken by any state government in the country. Addressing a review meeting chaired by CS SP Goyal and director general of police Rajeev Krishna on Tuesday, Shiradkar said the examination would be held in two shifts daily-from 10 am to noon and from 3 pm to 5 pm. He informed officials that extensive preparations had been completed for conducting the examination simultaneously across all districts and stressed the need for strict compliance with security and operational protocols to ensure a fair and transparent process. Goyal and Krishna directed district administrations and police authorities to ensure foolproof arrangements and warned that any lapse affecting transparency, security or fairness would not be tolerated. The previous recruitment cycle coincided with the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The constable recruitment examination for 60,244 posts was conducted on February 17 and 18, 2024 and attracted more than 48 lakh applicants. Allegations that question papers had been leaked and circulated through organised networks sparked widespread protests by aspirants and rapidly escalated into a major political controversy. The government cancelled the examination, ordered a re-test and removed then UPPRPB director Renuka Mishra for alleged negligence. About six months later, the re-examination was conducted successfully in August 2024 under the supervision of then UPPRPB chairman Rajeev Krishna. The examination concluded without any major controversy despite the participation of lakhs of candidates. The UPPSC RO/ARO (Review Officer / Assistant Review Officer) was also cancelled in February 2024 following allegations that the secrecy and integrity of the question papers were compromised before and during the test dates. Later, the rescheduled preliminary examination was held successfully on July 27, 2025. Following the prelims, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) moved forward with the recruitment timeline, holding the Mains examination on February 2 and 3, 2026. As for this year's police recruitment examinations, candidates will undergo Aadhaar verification and iris-based biometric authentication before entering examination centres, according to directions reviewed by the recruitment board. Multi-layer frisking and strict restrictions on electronic devices have also been mandated. Authorities have been directed to prevent the use of smart glasses, smart pens and other communication-enabled gadgets that could facilitate cheating. DGP Rajeev Krishna directed officials to ensure adequate deployment of police and traffic personnel at examination centres, railway stations, bus terminals and major road intersections to facilitate the movement of candidates....