Aaditya Thackeray seeks postponement of MPSC State Service Mains pending reform panel report

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Friday (September 25, 2026) wrote to Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, seeking postponement of the upcoming MPSC State Service Mains until a reform panel submits its recommendations.

In his September 25 letter, Mr. Thackeray said the examination should be deferred if the report of the State-appointed committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary V. Radha remains pending and held only after its recommendations are appropriately implemented.

He also sought age relaxation for candidates who could lose an attempt or become ineligible because of any postponement.

Friday’s letter (September 25) marks Mr. Thackeray’s second intervention before the Governor on the MPSC issue this month. On September 11, he met Mr. Varma and sought the resignation of the MPSC chairman and secretary, along with a judicial inquiry into the alleged Drug Inspector examination paper leak.

Thackeray cited what he described as growing distrust among aspirants over the functioning of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), saying several candidates had approached him with representations concerning the examination and the commission’s functioning.

The demand comes days before the State Service Main Examination is scheduled to begin in October. The MPSC has decided to conduct the examination in a descriptive format, even as aspirants have raised concerns over different aspects of the examination and recruitment system.

The V. Radha-led committee was constituted by the Maharashtra government earlier this month to recommend reforms to the MPSC examination and recruitment process amid concerns over alleged irregularities and paper leaks.

The panel has since received more than 20,000 representations from aspirants and other stakeholders. Issues under consideration include question-paper security and distribution, examination procedures, transparency in evaluation and protocols to be followed in cases where examinations are cancelled.

The latest demand also comes as the Mumbai Crime Branch continues its investigation into the alleged leak of the MPSC Drug Inspector (Group-B) screening examination paper.

Four more people, including two candidates and two alleged middlemen, were arrested on September 24, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 11.

The Drug Inspector examination was held on March 22 for 154 posts under the state Food and Drug Administration. Investigators have alleged that confidential question material was illegally obtained and circulated for financial gain.