AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, 24 May 2026, appealed to all state Chief Ministers to make bus travel free for students appearing in the NEET re-examination on 21st, citing Punjab as the first state to introduce the concession and welcoming Bihar and Haryana for following suit.

Context

Posting on X, Kejriwal wrote: 'My appeal to all CMs: pls make bus travel free for all students taking NEET re-exam on 21st.' He acknowledged that Bihar and Haryana had already acted, calling their move a follow-through on Punjab's lead, and expressed hope that remaining Chief Ministers would do the same before exam day.

The appeal positions the AAP-governed Punjab model as a template for other states, with Kejriwal using his national platform to amplify a student-welfare measure beyond AAP's own jurisdictions.

Policy Backdrop

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is the single gateway to undergraduate medical admissions across India, making it one of the highest-stakes examinations for lakhs of students each year. Re-examinations, when ordered, create logistical and financial pressure on candidates who must travel — often across districts — to reach designated centres.

Indian state governments have a history of extending transport subsidies and fee waivers to candidates of national competitive exams, particularly when re-tests are scheduled on short notice. Such measures tend to originate in one state and spread to others through public advocacy and political signalling, a pattern Kejriwal's post explicitly invokes by naming Punjab as the originator.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are NEET re-exam candidates who face the added burden of travel costs on top of examination stress. For students from economically weaker sections or rural areas, the cost of reaching an exam centre can be a meaningful deterrent.

State transport departments in Bihar and Haryana have already been directed to absorb the cost, according to Kejriwal's post. If remaining states comply, the measure could benefit a significant share of the students scheduled to sit the re-examination on 21st.

Politically, the appeal allows Kejriwal to project a pan-India welfare posture at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party is seeking to expand its footprint beyond Delhi and Punjab. By crediting Bihar and Haryana — states governed by rival parties — he frames the issue as non-partisan, increasing the moral pressure on holdout governments.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether Chief Ministers of other states issue formal orders or announcements ahead of the 21st. Implementation on exam day — whether state buses are actually made available free of charge and students are informed in time — will be the practical test of the appeal's impact.

If the concession becomes near-universal, it could set a precedent for automatic transport relief in future NEET re-examinations, potentially prompting a standardised central or state-level policy framework for exam-day student welfare.