Maharashtra gets an IIT-JEE topper after 15 years

MUMBAI: Maharashtra has produced a JEE topper after over one and a half decades. The last time this occurred was in 2003, when Mumbai boy Yashodan Kanoria got AIR 1. He is today a professor at Columbia University.

After victory celebrations, 2019 topper Kartikey Gupta told TOI, "I calculated my scores based on the answer key and was expecting to be among the top 10 rankers.The national topper's position was a dream. Rank was never my focus." On Friday morning, he was elated to receive a congratulatory call from the director of IIT-Roorkee, which organised JEE (Advanced) this year.
Gupta, 17, moved to Mumbai two years ago to seek intensive coaching. "My interest in physics and maths led me to pursue an IIT seat. I decided to move to Mumbai in 2017, as my elder brother was studying here," said Gupta. He enrolled at Alpha Junior College of Science and Commerce, Vile Parle, which offered JEE coaching .
Gupta gave up his smartphone and social media to focus on IIT preparation. In the last few months, his coaching class offered intensive coaching to a few shortlisted students. "Faculty and students stayed together, and were available for queries round-the-clock," said Gupta, who bagged 93.7% in his HSC exam. He is planning to pursue computer science from IIT-Bombay.
Of the 1.61 lakh students who took IIT-JEE this year, 38,705 qualified for the IIT admission process for around 11,500 seats. Last year, 31,988 students had qualified.
"Eligibility cut-offs were lowered like last year, to create a larger pool of eligible candidates in categories such as OBC and EWS. Due to non-availability of certificates, some students may not be eligible under the quota at a later stage," said ML Sharma, JEE (Advanced) chairman from IIT-Roorkee. He said MHRD had directed them to invite more students for counselling.
In keeping with IIT policy to increase representation of girl students, the supernumerary quota was increased to 17% this year.
While Maharashtra bagged the top position, IIT-Delhi zone is home to four of the top 10 rankers this year. IIT-Bombay zone tied with the Madras zone in bagging three positions each in the top ten ranks.
Southern India has seen the maximum students -30-in the top 100, and has bagged 132 ranks in the top 500. This is followed by those from the IIT-Delhi zone, which has 29 rankers in 100 and 167 in 500. IIT- Bombay zone, comprising Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Goa, produced only 14 rankers in the top 100 and 95 in the top 500.