Sports quota candidates face uncertainty as department delays eligibility list

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has stated that candidates under the sports quota are unable to participate in the mock seat allotment process for professional courses, including engineering, because the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYEP) has not yet submitted the final list of eligible candidates.

The KEA is scheduled to announce the mock seat allotment results on July 6. In multiple communications, the KEA has urged the DYEP to submit the list, with the latest letter sent on June 29 setting June 30 as the deadline.

Prasanna H., Executive Director of KEA, said: “The merit list of candidates who have applied under the special category for 2026 has been received from the respective departments and published on the KEA website. However, the final list from the DYEP is still pending, due to which students are unable to enter options for seats under the sports quota.” He added that despite repeated reminders, there has been no appropriate response.

M.N. Anucheth, who recently took charge as Commissioner of DYEP, said he would look into the issue and resolve it as soon as possible.

Aspiring candidates have expressed concern. One applicant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “I have participated in State-level volleyball and have applied for an engineering seat. Though KEA has opened the process, I am unable to make any optional entry. KEA blames DYEP, and my appeals to DYEP have been unsuccessful. I worry that I may miss out on a seat.”

This year, 754 seats are reserved under various special categories, including NCC, Sports, Defence, and others. Of these, 158 seats are earmarked for the sports quota. A total of 2,273 candidates have applied for a sports quota seat.

While other departments have completed their processes, the DYEP is yet to submit the list. According to KEA, DYEP staff collected sports quota documents on May 5 and were expected to submit the final list by May 30. However, the department has now requested documents for 70 additional candidates, causing further delay.

Prasanna clarified: “It is not our duty to collect and submit the documents again, especially after 40 days. The KEA is only a counselling authority and allocates seats based on the seat matrix provided by various departments.”

The government has approved the final seat matrix for engineering, with a total of 1,60,281 seats available across the state. This includes 75,468 government quota seats, 32,670 COMEDK seats, and 52,143 management quota seats.