BENGALURU: Two candidates from Kolar are among the 22 candidates from Karnataka who have cleared the UPSC Civil Service Examination (CSE) 2025. While A Madhu secured the 436th rank, Tousif Ulla Khan secured 741st rank at the national level. Both of them had been able to reach upto the interview round a few times in their previous attempts, yet missed making it to the final list by a few marks.
Tousif, a resident of Bangarpet, cleared the CSE in his fifth attempt. He said, “I was qualified for an interview in my fourth attempt in UPSC CSE 2024 but missed to be in the final list by one mark. But I kept up my hopes. I am happy to have cleared it in my fifth attempt, but I am not sure if I will be able to join the service as it depends on the allocation I receive for my rank.”
Tousif started preparing for the CSE in 2021, soon after his graduation, and he happened to land a job in the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as an assistant section officer in Hyderabad last year.
“The job helped me sustain in this UPSC journey, as I was able to support myself, as well as my family, financially,” he said.
Madhu, who hails from Eragasandra village in Kolar, also hails from a humble background.
His father is a farmer and mother is a homemaker. He pursued his studies in government schools and colleges. “I have been able to qualify for an interview four times. Despite this, I failed in the prelims in 2023, and it was an eye opener for me. In my third attempt in 2024, I secured 544th rank and was allocated Indian Revenue Service. This year, I am hoping to get Indian Administrative Service with my rank as well as my OBC status,” he said.