MPSC overhaul: Tukaram Mundhe named secretary of reform panel after Pune protests

The Maharashtra government has appointed Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe as secretary of a new committee tasked with overhauling the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, moving to defuse ten days of protests by job aspirants in Pune.

The panel will be chaired by former high court judge Dilip Bhosale. Its other members include retired judge P D Naik, IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, and former IAS officer Ganesh Patil.

State minister Shivendraraje Bhosale announced the decision in person on Sunday at the SM Joshi Bridge in Pune, where hundreds of civil service candidates have been staging an open-air demonstration. The minister told the crowd that the government had agreed to review recruitment procedures and address several of their primary grievances.

What the MPSC protesters demanded

The agitation in Pune gathered momentum over widespread frustration with bureaucratic delays, exam scheduling, and administrative transparency inside the state recruitment commission.

Alongside structural reforms, the aspirants presented a specific list of demands to state representatives. Beyond the formation of an independent review body, they sought an expansion of vacancies in the upcoming Group C examination set for January, the withdrawal of police cases filed against student protest leaders, and a formal schedule to fill 70,000 public sector vacancies across Maharashtra over the next three years.

Demonstrators also demanded that the state introduce mandatory background checks on future MPSC chairpersons and secretaries before they take office.

Minister Bhosale assured the gathering that the government would act on those points, including the hiring drive and the rollback of police complaints.

The question over MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimnawar

One core demand remains unresolved. The protesting aspirants have called directly for the removal of current MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimnawar, accusing the commission's current leadership of mishandling recruitment processes.

The government has not said whether it intends to act on Bhimnawar's tenure, leaving his position untouched for now while the Bhosale committee begins its review work.

Mundhe's appointment and political reaction

The choice of Mundhe as the committee's secretary carries political significance. Known across the state administration for an uncompromising, procedural approach that has frequently led to friction with elected officials and municipal bodies, his inclusion appeared designed to offer credibility to a sceptical student audience.

Opposition figures who backed the sit-in gave a cautious response to the announcement. NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar, who joined the candidates at the protest site, welcomed Mundhe's appointment while warning that administrative independence would be the real test.

"We hope that the committee will have the freedom to work properly," Pawar said following the minister's announcement.

The state has not yet published the formal terms of reference or set a firm deadline for the panel to submit its findings.