LUCKNOW, May 21 -- Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday alleged large-scale misappropriation of reservation quotas in recruitments conducted under the BJP government. Addressing a press conference at the party's state headquarters during the release of a "PDA Audit" report, Yadav claimed that reserved categories, particularly Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), had been systematically short-changed across at least 22 major recruitment drives. Focusing particularly on the high-profile recruitment of 69,000 assistant teachers, the SP chief alleged that candidates from reserved categories were denied their due share. Referring to the audit report, Yadav alleged that OBCs, entitled to 27% reservation, received only 3.86%, resulting in a shortfall of 23.14%, while SCs, entitled to 21%, received only 16.21%, leaving a gap of 4.8%. He further alleged that 1,133 posts reserved for ST candidates remained vacant. Yadav said the National Commission for Backward Classes had flagged irregularities involving around 20,000 seats in the recruitment process. He added that the Yogi Adityanath government had admitted to anomalies before the 2022 assembly elections and released a supplementary list of 6,800 candidates. The Kannauj MP alleged that more than 7,933 reserved posts were effectively misappropriated when the supplementary list and unfilled ST vacancies were taken together. The former chief minister said similar irregularities were reported in recruitments for forest and wildlife guards, staff at Banda Agriculture University, aided junior high school teachers and headmasters, village panchayat officers, lekhpals, veterinary officers, Ayurvedic medical officers and several other posts. He alleged that the government often used the "Not Found Suitable" (NFS) tag to exclude reserved category candidates in university recruitments and deliberately concealed data to hide the extent of the irregularities. "Reservation is a constitutional right and a tool for social equality. The BJP government is engaged in foul play with the Constitution," Yadav said. Asserting that the Samajwadi Party's PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) alliance continued to gain strength, Yadav claimed that the BJP's days were numbered. "If we form the government in 2027, we will deliver justice to candidates affected by the 69,000 teachers' recruitment and conduct a caste census within 90 days," he said. He also criticised the Centre's women's reservation law for not adequately addressing representation for women and reiterated the party's commitment to providing special opportunities to socially and educationally backward sections. Senior SP leaders, including Shivpal Singh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Kiranmoy Nanda, Mata Prasad Pandey, Rajendra Chaudhary and Shyam Lal Pal, were present and echoed the demand for social justice. Yadav said that if party workers secured just five extra votes at every polling booth, the BJP would be routed in the next assembly elections....