Rohit Pawar alleges Rs 40-crore FDA exam leak racket, demands resignation of MPSC chief

Pune, Sep 10 (IANS) Launching a scathing attack on the state government, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Thursday accused the administration of shielding Vivek Bhimanwar, who was recently appointed as the Chairman of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) despite facing serious corruption allegations.

Addressing a press conference, Pawar alleged a massive Rs 40 crore transaction in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) paper leak case and released a presentation detailing various irregularities linked to Bhimanwar during his tenure as Transport Commissioner. These included scandals involving High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP), transfers and promotions, Integrated Traffic Management Systems (ITMS), interceptor vehicles, and GPRS tracking kits.

Pawar directly targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the appointment, alleging inaction despite the availability of crucial evidence.

“The Chief Minister has all the documents regarding Bhimanwar, and I am ready to provide them again if needed. However, if no action is taken, it clearly indicates that the Chief Minister is protecting him,” Pawar stated, demanding Bhimanwar’s immediate resignation on moral grounds.

Referring to the FDA recruitment scandal, Pawar refuted the state secretary’s July 27 statement that denied any leak. “The paper was not confined to a single individual; it reached hundreds of candidates, pointing to a Rs 40 crore racket,” he claimed, adding that even Minister Pratap Sarnaik had previously acknowledged the existence of an active racket within the Regional Transport Office (RTO) on the floor of the legislature.

Pawar also raised eyebrows over Bhimanwar’s insistence on conducting MPSC examinations online, noting the irony that he had previously opposed online transfer systems for officers and employees. “If someone pays Rs 40 lakh to become a Talathi, what happens to deserving, underprivileged students?” Pawar questioned, advocating for the appointment of an upright officer like Tukaram Mundhe to head the commission and restore integrity to the system.

He further pointed out that Bhimanwar joined government service in 1993, served as a Special Executive Officer to the Chief Minister in 2014, and was promoted to the IAS in 2018—noting that CM Fadnavis had three Special Executive Officers elevated to the IAS.

Pawar strongly criticised MPSC’s sudden decision to postpone the Maharashtra Group-C Services Combined Preliminary Examination—originally scheduled for October 25—by three months. Rejecting the official rationale of upcoming festivals, he alleged potential foul play or fear of another paper leak.

He demanded that the preliminary examination be conducted offline between October and November to ensure that the main exams take place in December, final results are declared by January, and the recruitment process concludes without delay.

Pawar’s move to target Bhimanwar comes amid protests by MPSC aspirants over paper leaks and administrative lapses. Protestors are demanding the resignation of Bhimanwar and concerned MPSC officers while pressing for transparency in conducting various examinations.

–IANS

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