The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has postponed the State Service Preliminary Exam 2020 in view of rising Covid-19 cases in the state. However, after the backlash against the decision, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday evening announced that the MPSC preliminary examination would be held by March 22.

Earlier, the recruitment examination was scheduled to be conducted on March 14 (Sunday) in two sessions at centres across Maharashtra.

As per a report by Hindustan Times, CM Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said that the preliminary examination will be held within eight days from March 14. “The announcement of new dates will be made tomorrow, this is my promise to you,” said the CM in a televised message.

Candidates are advised to keep a track of the updates on the Commission’s website i.e., mpsc.gov.in.

Also, the news of postponement sparked protest by hundreds of MPSC aspirants in Pune who blocked Shastri Road in the city.

The prelim exams were postponed many times last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over 2.5 lakh aspirants have applied for the MPSC 2020 examination. The State Service Exam or the MPSC Rajyaseva Exam is conducted by the commission to recruit Group A and Group B officers in the various administrative branches of the Maharashtra state government. There are a total of 200 vacancies available.

Here’s MPSC State Service Prelim 2020 exam postponement notice.

Coronavirus resurgence in Maharashtra

Maharashtra has been reporting a surge in coronavirus cases recently. On Monday, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope had said that the coronavirus situation in the state was “alarming” and permitted the district administrations to decide on lockdowns.

Following this, authorities in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district had on Tuesday imposed a “Janata curfew” to be implemented between 8 pm on March 11 and 8 am on March 15. Thane district had on Monday announced a lockdown in 16 coronavirus hotspots till the end of the month to combat a surge in infections.