CUET-UG 2026 was delayed at several centres after a technical glitch reported by TCS.
Opposition leaders linked the disruption to recent controversies involving NEET, CBSE and SSC examinations.
The NTA said affected candidates received full compensatory time and revised the schedule for later sessions.
Technical issues that delayed the Common University Entrance Test-Undergraduate (CUET-UG) 2026 at several centres across India on Saturday triggered political criticism of the Narendra Modi government, with opposition leaders linking the disruption to recent controversies surrounding other national-level examinations.
The delay drew renewed attention to the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is already facing scrutiny over the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 and other examination-related disputes. While opposition parties accused the government of repeated mismanagement, the NTA said the CUET disruption was caused by a technical glitch reported by its technology partner, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and assured that candidates would receive compensatory time.
According to Hindustan Times, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi chief minister Atishi described the delay as another example of examination mismanagement under the Union education ministry.
“First NEET, then CBSE, now CUET,” she said in a series of posts on X, referring to the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and disputes over the Central Board of Secondary Education's Class 12 marking system.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi made a similar criticism and also cited issues relating to Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations.
“NEET. CBSE. SSC. And today CUET. Four exams. One crore children. Not a single one conducted with honesty,” he wrote on X.
Gandhi also questioned the government's claims of being a “Vishvaguru” and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “completely ruined the entire education system”.
“The generation whose future you are destroying — that same generation will hold you accountable,” Gandhi claimed.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal shared one of Atishi's posts and commented: “The country needs an educated PM.” Prime Minister Modi holds a master's degree from Delhi University.
Hindustan Times reported that the CUET delay comes weeks after NEET-UG 2026, held on May 3, was cancelled following allegations of paper leaks and structural irregularities.
The Ministry of Education has since ordered a CBI probe and scheduled a re-examination for more than 22 lakh aspirants on June 21.
“Today CUET has been delayed due to a ‘technical issue’. Lakhs of students were to take the exam in all parts of India today and after waiting for hours, such notices have been put up outside all centres. Remarkable incompetence @dpradhanbjp!” Atishi wrote while sharing a photograph of an NTA notice and tagging Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also shared videos showing crowds outside examination centres and said the delay could indicate “a major breach”.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, have repeatedly targeted Pradhan over examination-related controversies, demanding his resignation and urging Modi to “break his silence” on what they describe as recurring institutional lapses.
The government told the Supreme Court earlier this week that Modi is “personally supervising” the re-conduct of NEET, a claim Gandhi also criticised.
Pradhan, meanwhile, has said he takes “full responsibility” for the CBSE-related glitches and has assured students of a seamless retest.
Reported Hindustan Times, the SSC also faced controversy during the recent SSC GD Constable Examination 2026 after disruptions linked to seating-capacity miscalculations, server crashes and the exposure of a high-tech cheating racket by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Greater Noida. The problems sparked student protests and led the commission to cancel some affected shifts and reschedule the examinations.
The controversies have also contributed to the emergence of an online satirical movement known as the Cockroach Janta Party.
Responding to concerns over the CUET delay, the NTA said TCS had reported a technical problem that affected the start of the examination at some centres.
“M/s TCS has reported that a technical glitch at their end delayed the commencement of CUET (UG) 2026 at some centres on 30.05.2026. The issue has since been resolved, and the exam is being conducted with full compensatory time so that no candidate is disadvantaged,” the agency said in a statement on X.
The morning session was delayed by more than two hours in several states. To accommodate the disruption, the NTA revised the schedule for the afternoon shift.
The reporting time for the second session was moved to 2.30 pm, while the examination began at 4 pm instead of the originally scheduled 3 pm.
The agency said candidates in the morning shift were given their full allotted examination time and were permitted to leave only after completing their papers, reported Hindustan Times.
“NTA sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to students and parents,” it added, while issuing a helpline number, 91-11-40759000, and the email address cuet-ug@nta.ac.in for candidates seeking assistance.
Introduced in 2022, CUET-UG is a standardised national entrance examination for admission to undergraduate programmes across central, state and select private universities.
Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the examination assesses language skills, domain-specific subjects and general aptitude. It replaced a system of multiple university-specific entrance tests with a common assessment platform intended to widen access to higher education.
However, Saturday's disruption has again raised questions about the NTA's ability to conduct large-scale examinations across multiple cities without interruptions.
CUET is conducted over several dates because of the large number of applicants and the wide range of subject combinations. For the current cycle, the examination began on May 11 and is scheduled to conclude on May 31.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times)
