Voting will not affect students’ eligibility to take exams; no such instruction issued, clarifies NTA

NEW DELHI: Voting will not affect the eligibility of students for taking exams, clarified the National Testing Agency and refuted such claims as ‘baseless’. The testing authority issued a clarification after messages went viral on social media claiming that students voting for Lok Sabha general elections and having ink on their fingers will not be allowed to sit in the exam.

“It has been reported to the National Testing Agency, (NTA) that there are messages circulating in social media, claiming that individuals who vote in the General Elections to the Lok Sabha and have their fingers inked will be prohibited from entering examination halls of the examinations conducted by NTA,” the exam authority said in a statement.

NTA advised students to avoid such rumors. “The above messages are completely baseless and NTA has not issued any such instruction/guideline. Students are requested not to pay heed to such rumors and exercise their voting right. Voting will not affect their eligibility to take examinations,” it stated.

Candidates have been further advised to focus on their studies and prepare for the upcoming exams.

Lok Sabha Polls 2024 are scheduled to be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. While several exams including the chartered accountant (CA) exams, Maharashtra common entrance tests have been rescheduled to avoid clash with elections, NTA refused to change the exam dates for national entrance exams such as National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2024, and the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) 2024.

All these exams will be conducted in the months of May and June on or near the election dates.