MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday announced that the MPSC exam scheduled to be held on October 11 has been postponed.
Thackeray announced the decision after meeting Maratha outfits and the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha quota.
This is for the third time the government has postponed the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exam since the outbreak.
The chief minister said there was a demand from the candidates that they needed more time to prepare for the exam as libraries in the state are still shut due to COVID-19.
"After discussing with all the stakeholders, we have decided to postpone the MPSC exam scheduled for October 11," he said.
"There was a demand (from candidates) for more time to study as educational institutes and libraries are still shut due to the pandemic.
We are coming out of the lockdown now, but the number of cases are still rising," Thackeray said, adding that this exam for 200 posts had been postponed twice earlier.
"All the students who were eligible to appear for the exam on October 11 will be allowed to do so whenever it is held in future," he said.
Maratha outfits, protesting against the Supreme Court's stay on implementation of quota for the community, had been demanding that these exams be postponed.
However, state PWD minister and head of cabinet sub-committee on Maratha quota Ashok Chavan said the decision to shift the date was due to the coronavirus outbreak and not "any pressure", adding that the CM had made it it clear this postponement would be final.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Sambhaji Chhatrapati welcomed the state government's decision to postpone the exam.
"We hope that by the time the exams are held, a decision will be taken by SC on the implementation of the (Maratha) quota," he said.