Maha govt faces uphill task of overhauling MPSC after aspirants call off stir
Mumbai, Oct 12 (IANS) The widespread protests by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants in Pune reflect an accumulation of intense frustration, financial strain, and a profound sense of betrayal.
The agitation was initially triggered by severe irregularities and alleged question paper leaks in recent examinations, most notably the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug inspector posts exam. Aspirants realised that despite years of grueling preparation, the playing field was fundamentally rigged.
The 11-day protest evolved into a major flashpoint, exposing underlying tensions between student welfare, administrative accountability, and state politics. It primarily erupted in Pune—the educational and competitive coaching hub of Maharashtra—driven by deep-seated anger among thousands of aspirants. Initially, the candidates blamed themselves for missing cut-offs by narrow margins.
When paper leaks and administrative compromises came to light, it shifted the narrative from personal failure to systemic corruption. Protesters demanded a sweeping overhaul, targeting not just isolated elements but calling out deep-seated rot across the organisational hierarchy—from the clerical level to the leadership.
The demonstrators were frustrated by systemic administrative delays, recurring paper leaks, systemic corruption, and opaque selection procedures within the MPSC.
The focal point of the agitation quickly narrowed down to a single demand: the immediate resignation and removal of MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar, alongside demands to review exam formats (objective versus descriptive). The job aspirants argued that keeping controversial figures in constitutional posts while corruption inquiries were pending would allow evidence to be tampered with.
For millions of youths — particularly from rural and agrarian backgrounds in Maharashtra — clearing the MPSC is seen as the ultimate vehicle for social mobility. Candidates spend years living in modest, crowded accommodations in Pune or Mumbai, often spending tens of thousands of rupees monthly funded by family sacrifices.
The Maharashtra government faced a high-stakes political dilemma, attempting to balance administrative firmness with the urgent need to defuse mounting youth unrest. Early on, the response was marked by bureaucratic rigidity and police pushback, including issuing notices and detaining protesters. Ruling party leaders also attempted to downplay the crisis by attributing the agitation to political opportunism by opposition figures like Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar.
The state government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, faced a delicate balancing act between maintaining administrative protocol and pacifying the agitated youth demographic. As the protest sustained momentum over several days, the government was forced to course-correct. It initially removed the commission’s secretary, Mahendra Harpalkar. He asserted that because the MPSC chairperson holds a constitutional position, direct removal by the Chief Minister or state cabinet is legally restricted under Article 317 of the Constitution, which mandates a formal presidential reference following a Supreme Court inquiry.
To defuse tensions, the government announced a judicial committee/panel headed by a retired judge of the Bombay High Court, Justice Dilip Bhosale, to probe the functioning of board members and allegations tied to the paper leaks.
Incidentally, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Munde has been appointed as the judicial committee’s secretary. CM Fadnavis maintained that if an inquiry found the leadership guilty, the state would officially recommend removal to the President.
With pressure mounting, MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar on Monday at 1.24 am declared on X that he is going on indefinite leave until investigations conclude, addressing a primary demand of the agitators. Following these concessions and commitments to structural reforms, the prolonged multi-day protests formally concluded, though underlying skepticism among student factions remains palpable.
Fadnavis, however, openly criticised the Opposition, claiming that what started as a legitimate student protest had been hijacked by political entities seeking electoral mileage. Opposition leaders, particularly NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar and Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam, stepped into the vacuum, aggressively championing the students’ cause and utilising grassroots pressure tactics.
Rohit Pawar positioned himself as the primary political bridge for the students, visiting protest sites (such as the S M Joshi Bridge in Pune), staging ultimatums, and organising dialogue between delegations and ministers. He initially dismissed the government’s proposed inquiry committee as a “diversionary tactic” and a bureaucratic delay. He argued that leaving the chairman in office during an investigation allows culprits to destroy evidence, and even threatened wider disruptions like a Pune shutdown if demands were not met within tight deadlines.
When local friction arose regarding traffic blockages and police booked participating students, Rohit Pawar strongly condemned the filing of “false FIRs,” demanding that cases against students be dropped and redirecting the political heat toward the administration.
As the protest gained momentum, the ruling Mahayuti coalition (particularly the BJP and local leaders) pushed back aggressively against the Opposition’s involvement. Ruling party leaders accused Opposition heavyweights (such as the NCP-SP and Shiv Sena-UBT) of exploiting vulnerable students for partisan gains ahead of crucial political cycles. They argued that the Opposition was fuelling unrest rather than allowing administrative solutions to take effect.
Local leaders and opponents of the shutdown threats challenged the opposition, arguing that holding the city of Pune and its citizens “to ransom” through transport blockades and aggressive bandhs crossed the line from student advocacy to urban disruption. Accusations were floated in political circles attempting to discredit the organic nature of the protests, leading to sharp counter-rebukes from student leaders and Opposition leaders, who maintained that the struggles of middle-class and rural aspirants were being unjustly mocked.
While the immediate protests have been called off following the government’s concessions, the broader landscape remains fragile. Long-term stability requires addressing deep structural flaws. The credibility of public examinations hinges entirely on tamper-proof execution. Transitioning fully to secure, digitised processes with zero tolerance for manual leak vectors is non-negotiable.
Observers said that rebuilding faith in the MPSC requires transparent, time-bound findings from the promised inquiry committees. If the probes drag on without accountability, student anger risks reigniting.
They further observed that chronic delays in conducting exams, evaluating papers, and declaring results trap candidates in endless loops of uncertainty. Setting and strictly adhering to a predictable annual calendar will reduce the psychological and economic toll on aspirants. MPSC must function as a fiercely independent, transparent body. The interim measures—such as leadership leaves and judicial probes—must translate into permanent institutional safeguards that insulate recruitment from political interference and administrative apathy.
(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)
–IANS
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