Thousands of candidates protesting the new "objective-to-descriptive" pattern for the forthcoming Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams have finally yielded some results. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde sent a letter to the MPSC, requesting it to implement the new pattern from 2025.
“Applying the new pattern from this year would be unfair to the students preparing for the exam for the last few years. So, the students have requested to postpone the new pattern to 2025,” said Shinde.
However, postponing the implementation of the new pattern is a long-drawn process for the government, and students are taking it with a pinch of salt. The aspirants demand that at least three years be given to prepare for the MPSC exams.
The student protests across the state over the last six months took a political turn in Pune on Tuesday, although BJP MLAs described their agitation as apolitical. The site of the protest, Lokmanya Tilak Chowk, witnessed a heavy police presence. The presence of BJP MLAs triggered a debate over whether the student movement is being hijacked by politicians.
NEW MPSC FORMAT
All candidates are required to write nine papers. Out of them, two are language papers. Language Paper I is Marathi, while Language Paper II is English, carrying 300 marks each. Besides, there will be seven papers on essay writing (Marathi or English), General Studies I, General Studies II, General Studies III, General Studies IV, Alternative Subject Paper Number-I, and Alternative Subject Paper Number-II, with each carrying 250 marks. The interview will carry 275 marks. The total marks would be 2,025.