Pune, 5th October 2026: The student protest against the functioning of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) continued for the fourth consecutive day in Pune on Sunday, with thousands of aspirants gathering at three locations, S. M. Joshi Bridge near Garware College, Lal Bahadur Shastri Road and Tilak Chowk.
The protest gained momentum as several political leaders visited the protest sites and extended support to the students. Slogans, speeches and discussions over examination reforms continued throughout the day.
Although students have united against issues concerning the MPSC, differences have emerged over the examination pattern.
S. M. Joshi Bridge: Students are demanding the resignation of MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar and a return to the objective examination pattern.
Lal Bahadur Shastri Road: Students are focusing mainly on changes to the examination system rather than the chairman’s resignation.
Tilak Chowk: Students want the descriptive examination pattern introduced in 2025 to continue and oppose political interference in the commission’s functioning.
MP Sanjay Raut, Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, MLA Satej Patil, Sushma Andhare, Abhijit Dipke, Karuna Mundhe, Sachin Kharat and Salil Deshmukh visited the protest at S. M. Joshi Bridge. Minister Nitesh Rane also visited the protest near the Ahilyadevi Holkar Study Centre and interacted with students.
Raut said, “Thousands of students are on the streets in Pune, and this movement has now become Maharashtra’s Jantar Mantar. If students have to take to the streets to demand their legitimate rights, it is a major failure of the government. The MPSC and recruitment process must be thoroughly cleaned up from top to bottom. The government should speak directly with the students instead of trying to divide them. This is not just a fight over one examination but about the future of Maharashtra’s youth. We stand firmly with the students.”
Rane said, “I have come here not as a minister or MLA, but as a friend of the students. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a nearly three-hour discussion with the students, and 12 of their 13 demands have been addressed. If students are demanding an objective examination system, a decision will be taken accordingly. Students should not allow the protest to be used for political purposes. The committee formed to examine the examination pattern is consulting students, and its report will be transparent and take their concerns into account.”
MLA Satej Patil said, “Millions of young people across Maharashtra are preparing for competitive examinations with the dream of joining the administration and serving the state. Despite strong opposition from students, the government is taking a rigid stand on the examination pattern. Technical problems and confusion in computer-based examinations have created uncertainty among students. MPSC examinations should therefore be conducted transparently and offline. The government must understand the students’ concerns and take an immediate decision.”
Vijay Wadettiwar said, “MPSC students are not asking for jobs as a favour. They are fighting for their right to get employment based on merit. Many students, particularly from Marathwada, face serious financial difficulties and have spent years preparing for competitive examinations. The government must take their demands seriously and ensure justice for them.”
Abhijit Dipke, founder of CJP, said, “A graduate who dreams of building a future through education is sitting on the streets today to demand his rights, while those without degrees are occupying positions of power. This is deeply unfortunate. Students will get justice only if they remain united and fight together. They should maintain their unity and intensify the movement.”
The Professional Teachers Association has also extended support to the MPSC students’ protest and raised concerns over the percentile system in the MHT-CET examination.
The association questioned how students who scored around 35–40 per cent in Class 10 could reportedly receive 100 percentile scores in CET, which is used for admission to leading engineering colleges.
Today a statewide protest will be held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. The protesters are demanding that the CET examination be conducted offline, that Eduspark, the company conducting the examination, be removed and that the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry be made public.
