Pune: The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has decided to include 258 posts from the Agricultural Service in its upcoming Joint Preliminary Examination.

This decision comes after competitive exam candidates had long demanded that the recruitment for these positions be conducted through the joint exam.

Initially, despite appeals from candidates and requests to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Agricultural Service positions were not included, leading to protests in Pune.

The protests prompted the state government to request a postponement of the MPSC Joint Preliminary Examination. In a recent meeting, the MPSC decided to accommodate these requests by including the 258 Agricultural Service posts in the exam.

The Joint Preliminary Examination is now set to take place on December 1, and candidates have until October 17 to submit their applications.

Eligibility and Application Process
Candidates who have not previously applied but meet the necessary eligibility criteria can now apply exclusively for the Maharashtra Agricultural Service.

Those who have already applied for the examination and meet the educational qualifications for Agricultural Service will be offered the option to select these positions as part of their application.

For new applicants, exam centers will be available only in Amravati, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), Nagpur, Nashik, Mumbai, and Pune districts.

Candidates have been advised to choose wisely, as any other institutional exams held on the same day will require them to decide which exam to attend.

The application window will remain open until October 17, giving aspiring candidates a limited time to submit their applications and ensure their place in the December 1 examination.