Parents Allege Rahul Gandhi's Bengaluru Event Led to Traffic Chaos, Impacting NEET Re-Test Aspirants

Parents worry about traffic delays
On the day of the NEET re-test, parents gathered outside several exam centres in Bengaluru, claiming that students were left stranded for several hours due to traffic snarls and sudden road diversions. 

Many said they left home well ahead of time but still got caught in gridlock near the event venue and surrounding areas. Some parents complained that their children had arrived just minutes after the entry cut-off and were not allowed into the examination halls.

A parent told reporters in a video that was circulating online: “Months of preparation, and we were stuck in traffic.” Frustration as families try to coordinate with centre officials at the last minute. 

Rahul Gandhi’s event in the middle of the storm
The parents said the congestion was due to a programme of the Congress in Bengaluru, which Rahul Gandhi attended. They questioned the timing of a big political convention on the same day as an important examination for medical aspirants.

It was the coordination rather than the event that was the concern. “Better planning between the organisers, civic authorities and traffic police could have averted the disruption for the students appearing for NEET,” parents said.

So far, there has been no official statement from either Congress or Rahul Gandhi’s office on the allegations.

The video went viral 
Clips shared on social media by parents speaking to the media outside exam centres described how traffic had piled up on key routes. Some videos also show students and families begging officials to allow them in late.

The footage immediately caused a stir online. While some users voiced solidarity with the students' videos for stricter scheduling norms, others said Bengaluru's traffic woes are a perennial problem and cannot be blamed on an isolated event.

Wishing for better planning
The incident has reignited calls for improved coordination ahead of large public events. Parents and teachers have urged the administration and traffic police to keep the examination dates in mind while permitting rallies and political programmes. "There’s got to be a system to prevent these clashes,” said one parent in a viral clip.

Authorities have yet to detail a response to the allegations. NEET is conducted by the National Testing Agency. It did not say whether any of the delayed candidates were granted another chance.

With the videos going viral, the discussion has moved beyond one-day traffic to how cities can do a better job of balancing political activity with academic calendars that impact lakhs of students.