Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday called on the Maharashtra government to initiate dialogue on an immediate basis with students protesting over their demands concerning their functioning and examination system of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).

Addressing reporters, Pawar said a sense of unease had been growing among students in Pune, Mumbai and other districts of the state. He underlined that the government and student representatives must come together to get a hang of the grievances and work towards finding a solution.

Students call for reforms, transparency

MPSC aspirants have been staging demonstrations over several demands, including the removal of the MPSC chairman and greater transparency in the conduct of competitive examinations.

The protests erupted after the Maharashtra Public Service Commission deferred the State Services Main Examination 2026, which had been scheduled for October 3.

Earlier, the commission said that a high-level committee examining the existing examination system had held extensive discussions with candidates and other stakeholders. It claimed to also have studied best practices followed elsewhere as part of its review.

Pawar said, “There is a clear sense of unease among students in Pune, Mumbai and some other parts of the state. They have taken up a struggle and launched an agitation over their demands. Keeping this unrest in mind, the state government and concerned institutions need to take note of the situation and take steps to find a way forward.”

MPSC aspirants protesting in Maharashtra

He added that some student representatives had met him and had elaborated on their concerns and demands. He underscored that steps to resolve the matter should be taken with the consent of the students.

Pawar speaks to CM Fadnavis

Calling for direct communication between both the sides, Pawar said the impasse could not be resolved without meaningful dialogue. He asserted, “On one side there is the chief minister and his colleagues, and on the other are the student representatives. If there is no dialogue between them, the problem will not be solved. If the issue is to be resolved, there has to be meaningful communication.”

The veteran leader continued by saying that he had also spoken to the state’s Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis over the phone about the ongoing agitation. Pawar urged Fadnavis to look into the issue immediately after returning from Nagpur and initiate talks with the agitators.

He said, “If required, if the student representatives are willing to engage in dialogue, I am also prepared to participate and contribute towards finding a solution.”

Pawar maintained that the government should take the initiative to engage with the students and ensure their concerns were properly addressed.

He concluded by saying, “If the head of the state takes the initiative, we have a moral responsibility to participate in efforts to ensure that justice is done to the students and their problems are resolved.”