By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 8: The Meghalaya BJP has urged the state government to review the eligibility criteria for the Meghalaya Civil Service (MCS) and Meghalaya Police Service (MPS) competitive examinations to allow final-year undergraduate students to appear for the preliminary stage of the exams, following the pattern adopted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
Briefing media persons on Wednesday, BJP chief spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang said a representation dated October 7, 2025, has been submitted to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, seeking an amendment to the current rules governing eligibility for the state’s civil services examination.
According to the letter addressed to the chief minister, the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) advertisement issued on February 11, 2022, for the MCS examination had fixed the last date for online applications as March 11, 2022. The MPSC and the state government follow the general pattern of the UPSC for conducting the examination, which comprises three stages, namely Preliminary, Main and Interview or Personality Test.
However, the BJP pointed out that a major difference exists between the two commissions regarding educational qualifications.
The UPSC allows candidates who are in the final year of their graduation degree to appear for the preliminary examination, provided they furnish proof of having completed their degree when applying for the main examination. In contrast, the MPSC advertisement requires candidates to have already graduated before applying, effectively barring those in their final year from even sitting for the preliminary stage.
The BJP said this restriction deprives many potential candidates who are on the verge of completing their degrees of a fair opportunity to compete.
The party further argued that the situation is made worse by the fact that, unlike the UPSC which conducts the Civil Services Examination annually, the MPSC holds such examinations after long and uncertain intervals depending on the availability of vacancies. As a result, students graduating in 2022, for instance, may be forced to wait several years before another MCS/MPS examination is announced.
To address this issue, the BJP has requested that the state government, through its Personnel Department and the MPSC, revise the eligibility condition to permit final-year degree students to apply and appear for the preliminary stage of the MCS and MPS examinations.
The condition, however, should remain that these candidates must produce proof of having obtained their graduation degree before submitting applications and documents for the main examination.
Kharkrang said the proposal, if accepted, would “open the door for a wider selection of suitable candidates” and provide fair opportunities to final-year students, aligning Meghalaya’s recruitment norms with those of the Government of India and the UPSC.
The letter concluded by stating that such a move would not only promote fairness but also ensure that the state does not lose out on bright and capable young aspirants due to procedural restrictions.
