Jaipur: Athletes across Rajasthan are rallying political support against changes made to the sports quota in the Rajasthan Police Constable 2025 recruitment. They say the revised policy curtails opportunities for them and undermines the state’s long-standing commitment to promoting sports.Former Rajasthan basketball team captain Danveer Singh Bhati, who is leading the protest, said he was reaching out to legislators across party lines to press the govt for a rollback of the changes. “The new system has blocked the path ahead for thousands of sportspersons, many of whom represented Rajasthan and India at the national level,” Bhati said.Bhati said that several MLAs—including Pushpendra Singh Ranawat (Bali), Shrichand Kripalani (Nimbahera), Anshuman Singh Bhati (Kolayat), Ravindra Singh Bhati (Sheo), Mahant Pratap Puri (Pokaran), Vinod Gothwal (Pilibanga), Pushkar Lal Dangi (Mavli), Sandeep Sharma (Kota South), and Vikram Singh Jakhal (Nawalgarh)—have jointly written to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, urging that the earlier recruitment system be restored.Bhati said in past recruitments—Constable (2020 and 2022) and Sub-Inspector (2022)—players representing Rajasthan in national-level events were awarded 16 to 17 bonus marks. However, in the 2024 recruitment, no marks were allotted for national-level participation.The MLAs in their letter have stated that the removal of bonus marks for sportspersons and the inclusion of Common Eligibility Test (CET) has effectively rendered the sports quota meaningless. “Last year, 94% of the quota seats remained vacant because of these changes. It’s a policy that discourages rather than empowers athletes,” Bhati said.He added that the movement is not about employment alone but about honour and recognition. “Athletes don’t play for jobs—they play to bring glory to the state. But now even national-level players are being deprived of basic opportunities,” he said.
