TNPSC exam cancellation sparks political storm, Opposition slams DMK government

The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) on Sunday cancelled the Group II and Group II A main examinations across the state following confusion over examination centre allocations , which officials attributed to a technical software glitch .

Controller of Examinations A. Shanmugasundaram said errors in hall assignments at several centres, including two colleges in Chennai, led to chaos for candidates. To prevent further hardship, the Commission decided to cancel the exam statewide. He added that fresh dates will be announced later , with new hall tickets issued 15 days in advance , while exams scheduled for February 22 will proceed as planned .

The last-minute decision triggered strong reactions from opposition parties, who accused the DMK government of administrative failure . AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami termed the postponement unprecedented and said some candidates had already begun writing the exam before being informed of its cancellation, causing panic and distress.

He questioned the government’s claims of good governance and alleged that the DMK had failed to fulfil its promise of creating 5.5 lakh jobs . Actor-politician and TVK founder Vijay suggested the cancellation might be concealing deeper irregularities and said the youth would respond democratically in the upcoming elections.

PMK leaders Dr Anbumani Ramadoss and Dr S. Ramadoss also condemned the episode, citing centre mix-ups in Chennai and protests by nearly 500 candidates whose registration numbers were missing from allotted venues. They demanded an inquiry into the role of senior TNPSC officials.

Meanwhile, TNPSC said corrective measures were being taken to ensure the rescheduled examination is conducted smoothly and without confusion.