Candidates demanded an increase in vacancies of the posts, as lakhs of aspirants have been preparing for the competitive examinations in the State.
Candidates preparing for the Group I Examination, Group II examination and Group II A examination of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) have complained about the reduction in the number of vacancies in notification for competitive examinations to be held this year.
Candidates took to social media, and have demanded an increase in vacancies of the posts, as lakhs of aspirants have been preparing for the competitive examinations in the State.
TNPSC in the notification this year has invited applications for Group I (Combined Civil Services Examination I) competitive examinations to fill 26 vacancies, the lowest in the past few years. For the Tamil Nadu Civil Service, the TNPSC will select candidates to fill only 12 vacancies this year, according to the notification. Two vacancies will be filled in the post of Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes) in the Tamil Nadu Commercial Taxes Service, while just three vacancies will be filled in the post of Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies in the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Service. Eight vacancies will be filled in the post of District Registrar in the Tamil Nadu Registration Service. Only one post of Assistant Commissioner of Labour in the Tamil Nadu Labour Service will be filled this time, according to the notification.
Against this backdrop, TNPSC Chairman S.K.Prabakar told The Hindu that the number of vacancies will increase and and will be notified by addendum online.
To begin with on Thursday, the TNPSC published an addendum for the notification, increasing the vacancies of Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes) in the Tamil Nadu Commercial Taxes Service from two to 10. The vacancies to be filled in the post of Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies in the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Service have been increased from three to six. It also included six vacancies to be filled in the post of Assistant Director of Rural Development in the Tamil Nadu Panchayat Development Service and three vacancies in the post of District Employment Officer in the Tamil Nadu General Service. According to the addendum published online on Thursday, the total number of vacancies has increased from 26 to 46.
The TNPSC exams process used to take a long time before 2018. In 2019, all the exams, Group I, Group II and Group IV were completed on time, as TNPSC released results within one year of notification. After the Covid lockdown, the exams resumed in 2022. The credibility of TNPSC also improved through activities like the publication of regular timetables, similar to UPSC exams. In 2022, 95 vacancies were notified in Group I exam, 90 vacancies in 2024, and 72 vacancies in 2025.
Similarly, in Group 2 and 2A exams, 6000 posts were notified for recruitment in 2022 and filled in the next two years. In 2024, around 2000 posts were announced and filled the following year. In 2025, around 1200 posts were notified while 800 posts were filled.
While candidates were expecting a huge increase in vacancies after Chief Minister Vijay formed the government, the decrease in the number of vacancies by the TNPSC has led to a rise in complaints on social media.
“Owing to the decrease in vacancies in Group I, many students were waiting for the Group II and Group II A exam as an alternative to the Group I exam. But the vacancies announced in Group II and Group II A did not meet the expectations and were very disappointing. During his election campaign, Chief Minister Vijay spoke about increasing the number of vacancies in the TNPSC exam and spoke about the irregularities that took place in the exam. However, contrary to that, the number of vacancies has decreased, which is a cause of concern among the competitive exam candidates,” said a candidate.
Published – August 14, 2026 12:18 am IST
