When the CUET-UG was put off on Friday, it didn’t just ruffle some feathers in the opposition; it left a lot of students on edge. A glitch in the morning at a number of centres meant the afternoon exam had to be moved to 4 pm. For Gandhi and Kejriwal, it was an easy target to pin on the Centre as part of a larger mess with national exams.
Delay at CUET centres triggers anxiety
Some of the candidates who made it for the 9 am slot found themselves sitting around until 11 in several places. They were given the line that the server was down and left to their own devices in the hall for hours with no one to tell them what was going on.
You could see the kind of confusion from outside a Varanasi venue in some of the pictures put out there. Atishi of the AAP put it on X, pointing to the lack of readiness for an entrance test of this size, with so many shifts and days to cover.
Opposition links glitches to wider exam crisis
Gandhi made it a point of principle. “NEET. CBSE. SSC. And today CUET. Four examinations. One crore students. Not even one was conducted honestly,” he wrote on X. His view is that the education system is in disrepair and the people will make the government answer for it.
Kejriwal was right behind him. “The country needs an educated PM,” he posted, re-sharing Atishi’s take. He used the delay to once again press for some light to be shone on the Prime Minister’s academic record.
Political back-and-forth intensifies
Pradeep Bhandari of the BJP wasn’t having any of it. “This is why they don’t get the charge: One was busy with ‘Sheeshmahal’ in Delhi, and the other is on a never-ending holiday abroad,” he said on X, not mincing words about Kejriwal being a “corrupt” sort of leader.
It’s a theme for Kejriwal. The facts are that Modi’s BA is from Delhi University and his MA from Gujarat. He did the BA by correspondence in 1978 and the MA in Political Science in 1983, coming in at 62.3 per cent.
Back in 2016, the BJP put out copies of the degree certificates. But when it came to the RTI on the BA, the Delhi High Court made it clear that is personal information. There are still appeals in the works.
NTA response and revised schedule
The NTA has put on record that there was a tech failure. TCS let them know something was up with Session 1, but they say it’s been put right and have made a promise of extra time so no one is put at a loss.
They have put out a new plan for the afternoon with a few rules for the candidates:
– A late start for Session 1 because of the glitch
– Some compensatory time for those it affected
– 2:30 pm for reporting for Session 2
– The exam for Session 2 to be on at 4 pm
“We do regret the inconvenience to the students and their parents,” the NTA put out. It was an attempt to put minds at ease when you have families wondering if the system can be relied upon for something as important as this.
What it means for universities and students
Since 2022, under the National Education Policy, the CUET has been the way in for undergrads to central, state and some private unis. This year we are in the thick of it from May 11 to 31.
Even a small hold-up can throw a spanner in the works for evaluation and leave applicants in limbo. What happened on Friday has some people worried about how it might affect everything from counselling to when the semester is due to begin.
And it’s not for want of other examples. You had the NEET-UG 2026 on May 3 which had to be called off over leak claims. The CBI is looking into it and 22 lakh or so will be re-examined on June 21.
Then you have the SSC’s GD Constable Exam with its share of server and seating issues, and a cheating ring in Greater Noida. “First NEET, then CBSE, now CUET,” is how Atishi sees it.
Dharmendra Pradhan has put his name to the CBSE hiccups and vouched for a smooth NEET retest. The government says the PM is on top of it, with public confidence depending on a clean resolution.
On Friday, what the students wanted was to be treated fairly. The NTA’s 4 pm start and the extra time were meant to see to that. But in the end, it is the credibility of the institution that matters most for admissions in the country.
