The young men and women of Madhya Pradesh - struggling to survive amid rising levels of unemployment - find themselves caught in a vicious cycle of frustration and false hope.
On the one hand, recruitment exams for government posts, a tried-and-tested route for financial stability for lakhs of India's burgeoning middle-class, are frequently delayed.
On the other, the fees to sit for these 'exams-that-never-are' are collected without fail, forcing candidates to scrimp and scrounge to pay up, in the hope the next exam to be announced will be held on time and its results will be declared as promised (and without controversy).
This is the story, and dream of tens of thousands of people, including Shailendra Mishra and his two brothers from Panna district, who live together in a cramped 100-sq-foot room in Bhopal.
Clothes dry on a rope stretched across the room and meals are cooked a footstep away.
Mr Mishra has been chasing this dream since 2014, spending more than Rs 30,000 on applications alone. In his 'home', next to a mattress on the floor (there is no bed or furniture), stacks of notebooks and scraps of paper sit like quiet witnesses to years of sacrifice and prep.
"My elder brother earns Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month. That covers rent, food, and exam needs - books and stationery. He also wanted to prepare for an exam, but he gave up because we cannot afford it. If exam results are declared on time, we could at least plan ahead."
"But because of the delays, we miss other exams too," he laments, the frustration apparent.
In Indore, 200 km away, Sonali Patel has been studying to join the police force.
She has been studying since 2017.
Ms Patel finally cracked the written test in 2023; but she didn't know she had passed till a year later, which was also when the physical examination was conducted.
And now the results of those aren't expected till alter this year.
Meanwhile, she must find a way to support herself and her family.
"We spend two-three years preparing for one exam. Our families can't support us forever. They ask about the results - I have no answers. How do we prepare for another exam with this uncertainty?"
The Forgotten Promise: One-Time Exam Fee
In 2023, just before the Assembly election, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, then the Chief Minister, promised candidates like Mr Mishra and Ms Patel some relief - that they would not have to pay separate fees for each examination.
In a touching statement the BJP leader declared, "Our children fill forms for different government jobs... paying fees each time. Now, they will pay once and apply for all jobs."
But the promise, like the results, never came.
No policy was implemented, and no discussions were held, and when Congress MLA Pratap Grewal raised the issue in the Assembly, the government's response was revealing.
According to its own data, from 2016 to 2024, 1.5 crore candidates applied for 112 exams conducted by the Employee Selection Board. Rs 530 crore was collected as 'exam fees'.
Of this amount, Rs 278 crore was spent on logistics and Rs 297 crore diverted to the Directorate of Education - to distribute scooters and laptops. Rs 58.52 crore was earned from bank interest.
"Exams must be free. It is unfair that unemployed youth are funding welfare schemes while waiting for jobs," Mr Grewal complained, but the state dismissed the concern. Madhya Pradesh Minister Gotam Tetwal said, "Congress only makes allegations. BJP is working hard..."
The state government has announced recruitment exams for one lakh posts within a year and for 2.5 lakh posts in the next five years. But with entrance fees between Rs 500 and Rs 600 fees per exam, a single candidate may end up paying Rs 2,500 or more - money many can't afford.
As Mr Mishra and Ms Patel wait in silence, their dreams are paying for scooters, laptops - and election speeches.
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