NEET-UG Results: Over 12 Lakh Qualify, UP Leads in Number of Successful Candidates

new delhi: uttar pradesh has once again emerged as the state with the highest number of successful candidates in the national eligibility-cum-entrance test for undergraduates (neet-ug), according to results declared by the national testing agency (nta) on saturday.this year, more than 12.36 lakh aspirants cleared the highly competitive exam, which serves as the gateway for admissions to undergraduate medical and allied courses across india. though the number of qualifiers has dipped slightly from last year's 13.15 lakh, officials attribute this to a marginal drop in overall participation.uttar pradesh recorded the largest pool of qualified candidates at over 1.70 lakh, followed by maharashtra with more than 1.25 lakh, and rajasthan with about 1.19 lakh.among the top scorers, rajasthan's mahesh kumar secured the first rank nationwide, while madhya pradesh's utkarsh awadhiya and maharashtra's krishang joshi clinched the second and third spots, respectively. delhi's mrinal kishore jha and avika aggarwal bagged the fourth and fifth ranks, with avika emerging as the top female candidate this year.neet-ug remains india's largest entrance test in terms of candidate turnout, with over 22 lakh students appearing this year. the scores will determine admissions for approximately 1.08 lakh mbbs seats — split between government and private medical institutions — and for courses in dentistry, ayurveda, unani, and siddha.the nta will soon announce the counselling schedule for qualified candidates.