A farmer's son from Maharashtra's Palghar and the daughter of a former Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs are among the aspirants from Maharashtra to clear the UPSC 2018 exams, the results of which were announced on Friday evening.

Hemanta Keshav Patil, who stood 39th, hails from small Shillotar village in Palghar, and had been a consistent topper throughout his academic career in school and college.

After topping the HSC exams from his sub-district Wada, he joined a college in Raigad to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering and was awarded the gold medal.

Pooja Priyadarshni, the daughter of Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay, who retired as Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs in January this year, has also qualified, securing the 11th rank. Her mother Sadhna Shanker is a Chief Income Tax Commissioner in the state capital and the family originally hails from Kolhapur.

After completing her studies in New Delhi, the 26-year-old Pooja went to Columbia University for higher studies in Social Management and cleared the UPSC in her third attempt.

Another Maharashtra girl, Shrushti Jayant Deshmukh, is the topper among all women candidates this time, standing 5th in the national ranking.

A total of six candidates from the state, including four girls, figure in the UPSC's list of Top 50. The other ranker holders include: Trupti Ankush Dhodmise (16th), Vaibhav Sunil Gondne (25th), and Manisha Manikrao Avhale (33rd).

--IANS

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