The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday sought an apology from Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin after the state Public Service Commission (TNPSC) exams were cancelled over a last-minute misallocation of exam centres.

Edappadi K Palaniswami“This is the first time in Tamil Nadu’s history that a highly important examination like the TNPSC Group 2 has been postponed on the day of the exam,” AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami said, adding that the incident exposed the government’s incompetence.

“There are shocking reports that in many places candidates wrote the examination without even knowing that it had been postponed,” he claimed.

The Group 2 and Group 2A examinations of the TNPSC were cancelled by the state commission on Sunday, following statewide protests by aspirants over the misallocation of exam centres at the last minute. As many as 1,126 candidates had qualified for the Group II main examination, while 9,457 candidates were eligible for Group IIA posts. The exam aids in the selection of candidates for posts such as assistant inspector in the labour department and other posts in the departments of child welfare, police, forests and directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC).

Some aspirants were not allowed to enter the exam halls as their number was not found and they were informed that their exam centre was shifted. The candidates protested on the streets and the exam was called off without another date being announced.

“I’ve taken leave from work to study for the exams. I’ve been preparing for it for many years. It’s upsetting that it’s been cancelled at the last minute,” said one of the aspirants. “Not just for me, it’s difficult for everyone to take leave and prepare again.”

According to a TNPSC official, the confusion was caused due to technical glitches.

TNPSC Controller of Examinations A Shanmuga Sundaram said that both examinations would be rescheduled.

He added that candidates would be given adequate notice regarding the exam being rescheduled.

The state BJP also targeted the state government.

“The DMK government is functioning in a state of utter incompetence, unable even to make the basic arrangements required for government examinations. The dreams of the youth who have been working extremely hard for several years, sacrificing their efforts, and travelling to examination centres for government jobs have been shattered,” former BJP state chief K Annamalai wrote on X.

HT reach out to the DMK, but did not get a response.

Divya Chandrababu is an award-winning political and human rights journalist based in Chennai, India. Divya is presently Assistant Editor of the Hindustan Times where she covers Tamil Nadu & Puducherry. She started her career as a broadcast journalist at NDTV-Hindu where she anchored and wrote prime time news bulletins. Later, she covered politics, development, mental health, child and disability rights for The Times of India. Divya has been a journalism fellow for several programs including the Asia Journalism Fellowship at Singapore and the KAS Media Asia- The Caravan for narrative journalism. Divya has a master's in politics and international studies from the University of Warwick, UK. As an independent journalist Divya has written for Indian and foreign publications on domestic and international affairs.Read More