More than 15,000 posts related to the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) will be filled at the earliest, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told the Legislative Council. The appointment of remaining members on the MPSC panel will be done by July 31, he said, adding the state government is also mulling to increase the number of members on the panel from the current six to 11 or 13 so that the process of interviews is expedited.

The issue of delay in conducting MPSC exams and the final interviews echoed in the Upper House against the backdrop of suicide committed by Swapnil Lonkar, a 24-year-old MPSC aspirant from Pune, who had cleared the preliminary and mains exams of 2019 and was waiting for the final interview. "The incident of Swapnil Lonkar's suicide is unfortunate. It should not have happened with anyone," the deputy chief minister said.