Punjab GMC Patiala, Ludhiana DMC emerge as popular choice in counselling

Patiala: The first allotment list released by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) saw local Government Medical College and Ludhiana’s Dayanand Medical College (DMC) emerge as the most popular colleges among MBBS top rankers.

With 92 general category seats at the Patiala College, its last admitted candidate ranked 172^nd while the DMC had a 93^rd ranked student as the last admission for- the general category seat.

The Government Medical Colleges including the ones in Faridkot and Amritsar, the last rank in general category was 280; while the general ranking among private colleges for government quota seats ran as high as 451.

Sri Guru Ravi Das Medical College, Amritsar ranked 2^nd to DMC, while PIMS reflected last on the student popularity list. The September 21 second round counselling according to experts is bound to improve cut of rankings of students The major favourable factor for the middle ranking students being that a majority of the Friday seat allotment students have joined other colleges based on their NEET ranks.

Candidate Ritwik Garg, ranked 30 in the PMET and allotted seat at the DMC, has already joined Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi. Candidate Dhruv Sood, allotted a seat at the DMC on Friday, has joined Vardhman-Delhi. Students Samanyu Handa (ranked 20) and Simranjit Singh Gill (ranked 52) have joined Chandigarh Medical College.

“Last year, the last allotment in the government colleges was to a candidate ranked 480. So there is hope for improvement in the second list,” said an expert.

The second positive indication for middle rankers being the likely conversion of vacant NRI seats in government colleges to the general pool. There are 41 seats to transfer , the only hitch being the petition pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The hearing is on September 19, before the second counselling; granting no relief to the petitioners, who have challenged the state government’s filling NRI quota seats through an entrance test. Leading to many NRI’s not qualifying

All students allotted seats on Friday are required to join concerned colleges by September 20