Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan interacted with Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants in Pune on Tuesday.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Chavan wrote in Marathi, "Interacted with students preparing for competitive exams in Pune. On this occasion, we discussed the problems faced by the students while preparing for the exam. I also inspected one of their libraries."
"Students from all corners of Maharashtra come to Pune to prepare for competitive examinations with the dream of becoming administrative officers. It is necessary to make strategic decisions for them at the right time, stand firmly behind them, and solve their problems immediately," he added.
Last week, the MPSC postponed the Maharashtra Gazetted Civil Services Combined Preliminary Examination, which was scheduled to be held on August 25, amid protests by aspirants pushing for a date change and making a few more demands. The MPSC stated it would announce the new date in the coming days.
Many MPSC aspirants were protesting in Pune, demanding a different date, saying it clashed with the Indian Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) exam for clerical positions. They also demanded the inclusion of 258 posts from the Agriculture Department in the MPSC exam.
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Rohit Pawar also joined the protest, stating that the government did not respond to the students' demands even after they were presented two months ago.
He said, "The aspirants who are fighting for their rights are demanding the inclusion of 258 posts from the Agriculture Department in the MPSC exam and the postponement of the exam by a month to avoid a clash with the banking exam. This demand was presented to the government two months ago. Unfortunately, due to no response from the government, the aspirants are protesting."
Later, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar also met with the MPSC aspirants. "After we intervened, a couple of issues are being addressed. The aspirants want their demands to be considered. I told them to prepare a memorandum addressed to the CM, and we will see if we can find a way forward," he said. "It is the responsibility of the state government to consider the interests of students taking the MPSC exam," he added.
