Opposition Leaders Join MPSC Student Protests in Maharashtra
Opposition leaders and political parties are backing thousands of MPSC aspirants protesting in Pune and Mumbai over paper leaks and demands for administrative reform.
Thousands of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants are conducting day-and-night sit-in protests across Pune and Mumbai, demanding greater transparency and the resignation of MPSC chairperson Vivek Bhimanwar. The unrest was triggered by the commission's decision to cancel the Drug Inspector recruitment process after the March 22 screening examination paper was leaked on social media two days prior.
Sanjay Raut, leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), visited the Pune protest site on Sunday, characterizing the agitation as a struggle for the future of the state. He accused the government of offering empty assurances while attempting to divide students through official notices. Simultaneously, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar urged the Government of Maharashtra to initiate immediate dialogue with student representatives to resolve the deadlock and address administrative reform concerns.
Protests in Pune have seen further escalation with a satyagraha led by NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar at the SM Joshi Bridge. While some students demand a return to offline examinations and an objective pattern, others seek the continuation of the descriptive pattern. Joining the movement, Cockroach Janta Party chief Abhijeet Dipke warned that the 20 lakh youths preparing for these exams are also voters who will respond at the polls if their grievances remain ignored.
