TNPSC Group 2 Mains postponed statewide amid ticket glitch; candidates protest

The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) Group 2 and 2A mains examination, scheduled for February 8 across the state, was abruptly postponed after widespread errors in hall tickets left thousands of candidates stranded and unable to sit for the exam.

Many arrived at the exam centres only to discover that their registration numbers were missing from the lists, sparking huge protests and road blockades in several districts.

Exams postponed

The examinations scheduled statewide on February 8 were being held to fill 1,188 vacancies in key posts like the sub-registrar, assistant labour inspector, junior employment officer, senior revenue inspector, and assistant. However, it was abruptly postponed due to major discrepancies in hall tickets.

The exams were structured with the Group 2 subject paper in the morning session, and a compulsory Tamil language qualifying paper for both Group 2 and Group 2A candidates in the afternoon. A total of 10,583 candidates had qualified for the exam, with 1,126 for the interview-category Group 2 posts and 9,457 for the non-interview Group 2A posts.

Hall tickets had been issued online the previous week, and 38 exam centres were set up across Tamil Nadu, including three in Chennai, the Presidency College, Nandanam Government Arts College, and DG Vaishnav College in Arumbakkam, where 3,221 candidates were assigned.

Chaos erupts

Chaos erupted yesterday morning when hundreds of candidates arrived at the centres only to find their registration numbers missing from the attendance lists, despite their hall tickets clearly allocating them to those venues.

Also read: Crime branch unearths fresh TNPSC scam in Group II A exams, case registered

Frustrated aspirants accused the TNPSC of serious negligence. In multiple locations, candidates staged sit-ins and road rokos, demanding immediate explanations. The ruckus compelled the Commission to cancel the exam statewide.

TNPSC CEO Shanmugasundaram personally addressed protesting candidates and apologised, “We deeply regret the inconvenience. This was due to a technical fault." And declared that they were postponing the examination across Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the state government transferred TNPSC controller of examinations Shanmugasundaram, IAS, and appointed Venkata Priya, IAS, in his place.

Second controversy

This marks the second public service recruitment controversy in under a month.

On January 27, 2026, the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) released the 1:5 ratio results for the 2025 Sub-Inspector of Police recruitment, only to identify a software error. Candidates who had legitimately switched from open to departmental quota under G.O.(Ms) No. 410 dated 18.08.2025, were wrongly excluded from the departmental list and placed in the open category. TNUSRB has promised revised results shortly.

Aspirants who spent years preparing for the exam expressed profound disappointment, “I thought I had performed well, but now it’s cancelled. If we’re five minutes late, they blame us and bar entry. Whose fault is this?” asked Anbarasan, a candidate.

“I left my family and studied for three years. All that effort is wasted because of mistake by officials. A proper inquiry into this TNPSC mess is essential," pointed out Chennai-based Ramadevi. While Ramya from Villupuram, tearfully said, “We used to study confined to our rooms with no other joys. What will become of our lives now?"

“They gave us only 40 days to prepare. We did our best, but this has left everyone devastated. It feels like the government has deliberately created confusion,” said Vidya from Tiruppur.

“I don’t understand any of this. My child studied tirelessly, barely sleeping for three months. How will she face this again? It’s heartbreaking,” said Madurai-based Kanagambal, mother of a candidate, was in .

Politicians condemn

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami stated, “This incident lays bare the dismal state of the administration under DMK rule. Postponing a crucial exam like TNPSC Group 2 on the very day of the test is unprecedented in Tamil Nadu’s history. Shockingly, many candidates wrote the exam unaware of the postponement.”

BJP leader K Annamalai remarked, “Such chaos is unheard of in decades. Strong suspicions arise that this may have been orchestrated by DMK ministers with a history of accepting bribes for government jobs. Chief Minister Stalin, leading a corrupt and incompetent administration, owes an apology to Tamil Nadu’s youth.”

TVK leader Vijay asked, “Naturally, doubts emerge about what transpired behind the cancellation of the Group 2 and 2A exams. How can one not suspect an attempt to conceal major irregularities? I strongly condemn the publicity-driven DMK government for shattering the dreams of lakhs of young job aspirants.”

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said, “When the government cannot conduct an exam without confusion, it must not use junior officials as scapegoats. Stern action against senior TNPSC officers is required.”

Meanhile, BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan commented, “Organising a political meeting for five lakh people is not such a big thing. Conducting an exam for 9,000 candidates properly is what matters and the DMK government has failed at that.”

The episode has escalated political pressure on the ruling DMK, with Opposition parties citing it as proof of administrative failure and calling for a comprehensive investigation into repeated lapses in state recruitment processes.

The new dates for the Group 2 and 2A mains examination are yet to be announced.