Several states at exam stage, more expected
Police Recruitment 2026 — Where the Vacancies Actually Are
State police recruitment is the largest employer of 12th-pass candidates in India, and it is also the hardest to track — every state runs its own board on its own calendar, with no central listing.
Here is where the major drives stand right now, and what the selection process actually involves.
Where the big drives stand
| State | Board | Posts | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telangana | TSLPRB | 7,437 | Applications closed 16 Sep; exam schedule announced |
| West Bengal | WBP | 12,000+ expected | Notification awaited |
| Bihar | BPSSC | 462 ASI (Operation) | Check board for current status |
| Bihar | BPSSC | 150 Sub-Inspector | Check board for current status |
| Bihar | BPSSC | 65 Company Commander | Open until 10 October 2026 |
| Karnataka | KSP | Constable | Exam date announced |
| Madhya Pradesh | MPESB | 7,500 Constable (GD) | Applications closed 6 Oct; exam from 19 Nov |
| Madhya Pradesh | MPESB | 655 Subedar, Steno and ASI | Closes 8 October 2026 |
Figures here come from board notices and listings and should be confirmed on each state board's own portal before you act on them. Police recruitment dates shift more often than central recruitment does.
Telangana is the standout, and it has already closed
TSLPRB's 2026 drive covers 7,437 vacancies across four departments — Police, Fire Services, Prisons and Correctional Services, and the Special Protection Force. Roughly 6,180 are constable-level and about 244 are officer-level.
The single largest post is Police Constable (Civil) with 3,697 vacancies, followed by Constable in the Special Protection Force with 1,380. That weighting made it an unusually strong year for 12th-pass candidates in Telangana.
Applications closed on 16 September 2026 and the exam schedule has been announced. If you applied, watch tgprb.in for hall tickets.
West Bengal is the one to watch
A West Bengal Police drive reported at over 12,000 vacancies has been signalled but not yet notified. If it lands at that scale it becomes the largest police recruitment in the country this cycle.
Nothing is confirmed until the board publishes. Treat the figure as an expectation, not a plan.
How police selection works
The structure is broadly consistent across states, and each stage eliminates:
- Written examination — usually objective, covering general studies, reasoning, arithmetic and often state-specific general knowledge.
- Physical Measurement Test — height, chest for male candidates, occasionally weight.
- Physical Efficiency Test — running, long jump, high jump, shot put, against standards that differ by state, gender and category.
- Document verification.
- Medical examination — vision standards are strict and catch people at the very end.
Physical standards are the real filter, and they are checked late. A candidate who clears the written paper and falls short on height or chest has spent months preparing for nothing. Measure yourself against the standard in the notification before you pay the fee, not after you clear the exam. The same applies to vision requirements, which are verified at the medical stage right at the end.
Domicile and language
Most state police recruitment carries residence or domicile conditions, and several require proficiency in the state language, tested or verified. Candidates applying outside their home state should read that clause carefully — it disqualifies more outside applicants than any physical standard does.
Central alternatives if your state has nothing open
- SSC CPO Sub-Inspector — Delhi Police and CAPF, graduate level, closing 30 September 2026.
- CRPF, ITBP and Coast Guard — several windows open this month.
- SSC GD Constable — 10th pass, CAPF and Assam Rifles, runs on its own annual cycle.
Central forces recruit nationally with no domicile requirement, which makes them the sensible fallback when your own state board is between cycles.
How to track your state
There is no single national listing for police recruitment, which is why it gets missed. The reliable method is to check your own state police recruitment board's website monthly. Aggregator sites carry state drives inconsistently and often days late, and in a recruitment with a short window that matters.
Source. Compiled from state police recruitment board notices and cross-checked listings on 28 September 2026. The TSLPRB total of 7,437, the Constable (Civil) figure of 3,697 and the 16 September closing date are consistent across sources.
Treat as unconfirmed: the West Bengal figure of 12,000+, which has been signalled but not formally notified, and the current stage of each Bihar drive. Verify on the relevant board's portal.
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