Jaipur, Jan. 23 -- The OMR sheet tampering scam in state recruitment exams originated under BJP rule before 2018 and persisted until 2026, alleged former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday, while senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore countered the allegations, stating the fraud unfolded entirely during Gehlot's Congress tenure. The controversy erupted after the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group (SOG) on Tuesday busted a racket involving large-scale manipulation of results in three 2018 exams conducted by the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board (RSB). Five arrests, including senior RSB technical officials, exposed how results were allegedly altered to favour select candidates. In a post on X, Gehlot on Thursday Gehlot said, "According to the SOG report, this racket, which began during the previous BJP government nine years ago-that is, from 2018-continued right up to 2026, which is an extremely alarming fact. The employees who were involved in this fraud were still active and posted in the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board even in 2024 and 2025." He said the Congress government had taken unprecedented steps to curb paper leaks by enacting a strict law providing for life imprisonment, confiscation of property, and fines up to Rs.10 crore. "During the Congress government, the SOG carried out more than 250 arrests and bulldozed the properties of paper leak mafias, completely demolishing them. The Congress government never allowed politics to come in the way of justice," Gehlot said. Gehlot said while his government even cancelled examinations in the interest of youth, the present BJP government was politicising the issue and selectively targeting examinations conducted during the Congress regime instead of ordering a fair and comprehensive probe. He further claimed recruitment examinations conducted over the past two years-attended by more than 35 lakh candidates-were held under the same system and staff now under investigation for OMR sheet manipulation, thereby putting their sanctity under question. He urged chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to order an in-depth investigation into all examinations conducted in 2024 and 2025. Countering Gehlot's allegations, senior BJP's Rathore said the former chief minister's remarks amounted to an admission that OMR sheet scams and paper leaks took place during his tenure. "Between 2018 and 2023, when Gehlot headed the Congress government, papers of 19 recruitment examinations were leaked, triggering statewide protests led by the BJP," he claimed. Rathore said the examinations now under scrutiny, including the lab assistant exam held on February 3, 2019, the agriculture supervisor exam on March 3, 2019, and the women supervisor exam on January 16, 2019, were conducted during Gehlot's tenure, and the dates themselves established that the OMR sheet scam occurred under the Congress government. He questioned how the accused officials continued to be posted in the Staff Selection Board for five years despite the presence of the SOG and legal mechanisms during the Congress regime, alleging a lack of political will to act against paper leak mafias. Rathore said the Bhajan Lal government had given full freedom to the SOG to act against those involved in recruitment scams. He added that after assuming office, the BJP government launched a campaign against paper leaks, formed an SIT, registered 138 FIRs, and arrested 394 accused. "Instead of levelling misleading allegations against the BJP government, Ashok Gehlot should acknowledge the failures of his own regime and the protection extended to paper leak mafias," Rathore said, adding that the present government would not spare anyone involved in paper leaks or OMR sheet manipulation and would ensure that the future of youth is protected....