UPSC Rank 113 Row: Two Candidates Named ‘Shikha’ Claim Same Position

A controversy has surfaced over Rank 113 in the Civil Services Examination after two candidates named Shikha claimed the same position in the final merit list released by the Union Public Service Commission.

One of the claimants is Shikha, currently serving as a Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) in Sampla, located in Haryana’s Rohtak district. The other candidate claiming the same rank reportedly belongs to Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh.

The confusion began after a video circulated on social media stating that a candidate named Shikha from Bulandshahr had secured Rank 113 in the UPSC examination. Shortly after the video gained attention, the Haryana-based BDPO also asserted that the name “Shikha” listed at Rank 113 in the official merit list refers to her.

Speaking about the issue, the BDPO said that the UPSC merit list includes only one candidate named Shikha and that the roll number mentioned alongside Rank 113 belongs to her. To resolve the confusion, she has written to the UPSC and shared her admit cards along with links to the viral social media posts, requesting an official clarification.

“I have sent an email to the commission asking it to clarify the matter so that people are not misled. However, I have not received a response yet,” she said. Shikha completed her Bachelor’s degree in Economics (Honours) from Delhi and developed an interest in the civil services after regularly reading about successful candidates in the media. She began preparing for the examination soon after graduation.

Earlier, she had also cleared the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination with Rank 7 but chose not to join as she had been selected in the Haryana Civil Services the same year. She joined the state government in May 2025 and has been posted as BDPO in Sampla since July 2025. The UPSC has not yet issued any official clarification regarding the dispute.