NEET PG 2026: Digvijaya Singh urges Centre to restore city choice option
Synopsis
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has put the Centre on notice over a quiet but consequential change to NEET PG-2026: NBEMS has scrapped city-level centre selection in favour of state-only preference, a shift that could send candidates hundreds of kilometres from home. With NEET already under national scrutiny after last year's UG paper-leak crisis, the rollback of a basic candidate convenience is drawing fresh political fire.
Key Takeaways
Former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh has written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET PG-2026 centre allotment.
NBEMS has replaced city-level centre selection with a state-only preference system for the 2026 cycle.
Singh warns the change could force candidates to travel hundreds of kilometres , raising costs and mental stress.
Students from economically weaker families and rural areas are expected to bear the greatest burden.
The demand comes amid continuing public scrutiny of national medical entrance examinations following the NEET-UG paper-leak controversy of last year.
The Education Ministry and NBEMS are yet to respond publicly to Singh's letter.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh has written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, urging the Centre to restore the city-selection option for NEET PG-2026 candidates. Singh contends that the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has replaced the long-standing city-choice facility with a state-only selection process, potentially pushing candidates to examination centres far from their homes.
What Changed This Year
Under the revised NBEMS process for NEET PG-2026, candidates filling the application form can now indicate only three preferred states — not specific cities — for their examination centre. In previous years, applicants could choose preferred cities directly, giving them greater control over logistics. The change, according to Singh, was introduced without adequate public consultation and has caught thousands of aspirants off guard.
The Hardship Argument
Singh argued in his letter that allotting a centre hundreds of kilometres from a candidate's residence would substantially raise travel and accommodation costs, besides imposing avoidable mental stress in the lead-up to a high-stakes examination. He stressed that the burden would fall disproportionately on students from economically weaker families and those from rural areas, who have fewer resources to absorb last-minute travel expenses.
'The purpose of competitive examinations should be to assess the merit of students, not to put them under unnecessary financial and mental pressure because of administrative arrangements,' Singh said in the letter.
Broader Context: NEET Under Scrutiny
The demand comes at a sensitive moment for national medical entrance examinations. The NEET-UG examination last year was engulfed in allegations of paper leaks and irregularities, triggering student protests, court proceedings, and a sustained national debate over the integrity of competitive examinations. Critics argue that administrative missteps — such as the current city-choice rollback — compound distrust in the system at a time when it can least afford it.
Notably, this is not the first time that NBEMS examination logistics have drawn political and student-body attention; concerns over centre allotment fairness have surfaced in earlier NEET PG cycles as well.
What Singh Is Asking For
The senior Indian National Congress (INC) leader has specifically urged the Education Minister to direct NBEMS to reinstate the city-selection option before the NEET PG-2026 application window closes. He said restoring the facility would provide relief to lakhs of candidates and allow them to appear for the examination under better conditions — keeping the focus on merit rather than logistics.
The Education Ministry and NBEMS are yet to respond publicly to Singh's letter. How the Centre addresses this demand will be closely watched by medical aspirants and student organisations across the country.
Point of View
But its impact on rural and low-income medical aspirants is anything but minor. What is striking is the timing: rolling back a candidate-friendly feature in the very cycle after NEET-UG's paper-leak crisis — when institutional trust in examination bodies is already at a low — is a governance misjudgement. Singh's intervention is politically motivated, but the underlying grievance is legitimate and widely shared. NBEMS owes candidates a transparent explanation for the change; silence will only deepen the perception that examination administration prioritises operational convenience over candidate welfare.
NationPress
18 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NEET PG 2026 city choice controversy?
For NEET PG-2026, NBEMS has changed the application process so candidates can select only three preferred states for their examination centre, replacing the earlier system that allowed them to choose specific cities. Critics, including Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, argue this could result in candidates being allotted centres far from their homes, increasing travel costs and stress.
What has Digvijaya Singh demanded from the Centre?
Singh has written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urging him to direct NBEMS to reinstate the city-selection option for NEET PG-2026 before the application window closes. He argues the current state-only system places an unfair financial and psychological burden on candidates, especially those from rural and economically weaker backgrounds.
Who is most affected by the NBEMS centre selection change?
According to Singh's letter, students from economically weaker families and rural areas are most vulnerable, as they have fewer resources to cover unexpected long-distance travel and accommodation expenses if allotted a distant examination centre.
How does this relate to last year's NEET controversy?
The NEET-UG examination last year was marred by allegations of paper leaks and irregularities, leading to widespread protests, court cases, and a national debate over examination integrity. The current NEET PG centre-allotment issue adds to ongoing public scrutiny of how national medical entrance examinations are administered.
Has the Education Ministry or NBEMS responded to Singh's letter?
As of the time of reporting, neither the Union Education Ministry nor NBEMS has issued a public response to Digvijaya Singh's letter. The outcome of this demand will be closely watched by medical aspirants and student organisations nationwide.
