SBI candidates defy MNS threat, exams go smoothly

Amid the threat by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to protest against "outsiders" taking its clerk recruitment exam in Maharashtra, the State Bank of India on Sunday said the examinations were conducted smoothly and no reports of disruption were reported.

"The Maharashtra government has provided security cover to all the exam centres in the state and the exams are held smoothly. There have been no reports of disruption from any centres so far," said a senior SBI official.

Country's largest bank had sought security for all 60 exam centres in four cities -- Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad -- after Raj Thackery-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, in a letter to the bank, demanded domicile certificates from all candidates appearing for exams in Maharashtra.

This would mean that a candidate appearing for the examination should be resident of the state for at least 15 years, the official said.

"We have learnt that 1,100 vacancies exist in Maharashtra and we want no outsiders to claim these posts," MNS activist Sandeep Despande had said on Saturday

The SBI said out of a total 11.5 lakh candidates called for the exam on Sunday, about nine lakh had appeared for the test at 1,237 centres across 83 cities in the country.

In Maharashtra, nearly 75 percent of 46,000 candidates allowed to take the exams, turned up at respective exam centres, the official said.

In all, the bank had called 34.5 lakh students for tests to fill up about 11,000 vacancies across the country.

"Exams started last Sunday and 8.88 lakh students, out of the expected 11.5 lakh, appeared for the exam. On Sunday, around 9 lakh candidates have appeared. The exams will continue next Sunday as well," the official said.