Pune: Sharad Pawar Supports MPSC Students, Issues Ultimatum to Maharashtra Government

Pune, 22nd August 2024: For Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) students, a ray of hope has emerged as veteran leader Sharad Pawar has pledged his support to their recent demands. In a recent post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Sharad Pawar openly supported the MPSC aspirants. He has given the Maharashtra State Government an ultimatum until today, stating that if the demands are not met by August 22nd, he himself will step in to advocate for the students’ demands.

For the past 2 days, a protest by MPSC students has been taking place in Pune. On Tuesday (20th August) hundreds of students staged a sit-in protest on Lal Bahadur Shastri Road in Navi Peth, demanding the inclusion of 258 posts from the Agriculture Department in the Preliminary Examination scheduled for 25th August. The protests continued yesterday as well. Additionally, as the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) exam is also scheduled for 25th August, some students have also called for the postponement of the MPSC exam.

In response to these protests just days before the exam, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has announced that a meeting is scheduled for this afternoon to discuss the issue. However, since the MPSC has stated that no major decisions will be made in today’s meeting, the aspirants have continued their protests.

With the ongoing protests and political tension, Sharad Pawar took to X and wrote, “It is the duty of the government to consider the interests of the students regarding the protest called by MPSC students in Pune. However, the rulers do not seem to be taking it seriously. If the government does not clarify its position on this by tomorrow, I will personally join the protest in Pune and take action to secure justice for the students.”

Supriya Sule and Political Leaders Show Support

Sharad Pawar’s daughter and four-time Baramati MP, Supriya Sule, also visited the protest site and expressed her support for the students’ demands. She announced that she would request Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde to personally address the issue and urged the MPSC to consider the students’ demands. Prashant Jagtap, City President of the Nationalist Congress Sharadchandra Pawar Party (NCP-SP), also visited the students, as did other political leaders.