The Rajasthan NEET PG counselling process has sparked outrage among students, with over 100 medical seats mysteriously left vacant in the Round 3 of the state counselling despite hundreds of candidates vying for upgrades.
Allegations of irregularities, mismanagement, and even possible corruption are at the heart of this controversy, prompting applicants like Dr Vijayalaxmi Togra, who, through her father, who is an advocate, have written to the authorities demanding answers and reasons behind these seats remaining vacant.
Students left in the lurch
Dr Vijaylaxmi Togra, a NEET PG aspirant, had secured a seat in the Microbiology department at Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur, during Round 2 of counselling.
Hoping for an upgrade in Round 3, she, along with many others, re-registered, paying a hefty security deposit of Rs 1 lakh once again. However, her seat was not upgraded, and more shockingly, many seats that should have been available remained unfilled.
“When a student gets upgraded, the seat they leave behind should go to someone else. But here, these seats are being left vacant, which means they are likely being reserved for the stray vacancy round. That round is meant for genuinely unfilled seats, not ones that were intentionally kept empty. This raises concerns of corruption — are these seats being sold?” she questioned.
Adding to the frustration, Dr Togra pointed out that the results were declared late, giving students very little time to scrutinise these discrepancies.
“Students are so exhausted by this process that many don’t even bother to question it, fearing scrutiny or loss of their allotted seats,” she added.
Why vacant seats while aspirants struggle?
Dr Vikram Singh Saini, another student affected by the process, confirmed that around 200 candidates had applied for upgrades in the third round.
According to the seat matrix released by the authorities, there were 148 vacant seats. Yet, shockingly, only around 40 students received upgradation, leaving roughly 100 seats empty.
“A few vacant seats might be understandable, but 100 is a big number. In such a competitive exam, every seat matters,” he said.
He also highlighted an inconsistency: students who took seats in the All India counselling were correctly removed from the state counselling process to avoid blocking seats.
However, when a student was upgraded to a better branch or college, their vacated seat was not allotted to someone else. “Why are these seats not being assigned to deserving candidates? The system is failing us,” he added.
Legal action on the horizon?
Mahaveer Togra, an advocate and father of the applicant, Dr Vijaylaxmi Togra, has formally raised these concerns with the authorities.
“Most students don’t raise their voices because the system is so complex, and they fear losing their seats. But we will not stay silent. If the authorities fail to respond, we will take this matter to court. Students’ hard work cannot be disregarded,” he asserted.
He informed that to ensure action, a formal letter detailing these discrepancies has been sent to multiple authorities, including the NEET PG Admission/Counselling Board, the Health Ministry, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, and the National Board of Examinations (NBE). The letter demands a clarification on why so many seats have been left vacant despite eligible students seeking them.
Dr Vinod Sharma Bagra, President of the All Rajasthan MBBS Doctors Association, confirmed receiving multiple complaints regarding these discrepancies.
“We will ensure that the voices of affected students are heard and that no candidate suffers due to such mismanagement,” he said.
A call for transparency
Students are now demanding complete transparency from the Rajasthan NEET PG counselling board. They want a detailed explanation of why these seats were left vacant when eligible candidates were waiting for them.
The fear remains that these seats will be diverted to the stray vacancy round, opening doors for potential malpractice.
