Gudelli Srujana, 26, from Peddapalli district, emerged as the top performer from Telangana, securing All India Rank (AIR) 55. She is currently undergoing training as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

Atla Tharun Teja from Warangal secured AIR 123, while Banoth Laxmi Rachana from Rangareddy district ranked 178. They are likely to be the second and third highest-ranked candidates from the state.

Candidate quit EV industry to prepare for exam

Laxmi Rachana said she resigned from her job in the electric vehicle (EV) industry to prepare for the civil services.

"I was working in the EV industry. I resigned from my job and started preparing for the UPSC exam. This was my second interview, and I am glad that I made it to the final list," she told media.

A BTech graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, she said this was her fourth attempt at the examination.

"I am currently working for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as a Group A officer. After every attempt, I worked on improving my weaker areas. This time, I focused on writing and presenting," she said.

She added that she chose civil services because it offers greater scope to serve people.

Over 74,000 candidates from Telugu states applied

According to available data, 74,427 candidates from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh applied for the examination. Of them, 42,804 appeared for the test, including 25,787 from Hyderabad.

This year, 30 candidates from the two states were selected for the civil services out of a total of 958 candidates nationwide.

Gopalakrishna, director of Brain Tree coaching centre, said most successful candidates were repeat applicants.

"Most of the candidates are repeat applicants who have taken the exam several times in recent years. There are not many toppers from the Telugu states this year," he said.

He added that uncertainty in the private sector and rising awareness of civil service opportunities could lead to an increase in aspirants in the coming years.