# UPSC CSE Mains 2026: carry two passport photos for face auth 2026-08-20T13:17:17+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has reiterated that candidates appearing for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) Mains 2026 must carry at least two passport-size photographs for each session for identity verification via a real-time face authentication system. The commission introduced the system to match photographs submitted during application with the candidate's appearance at the exam centre. Times Now reports that if discrepancies occur, candidates must fill an undertaking with the venue supervisor and affix a photograph. The CSE Mains 2026 is scheduled across five days: August 21, 22, 23, 29, and 30, 2026. Question papers will be available from August 31 to September 4. The Economic Times adds that strict security and police deployment were observed at centres in Delhi, Lucknow, and Jaipur on the second day of the exam. This year, against 1,016 notified vacancies, 13,343 candidates have been shortlisted for the Mains. During the Preliminary exam held on May 24, out of 8,19,732 registered candidates, around 5.49 lakh appeared, UPSC said. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources report the same factual details on the UPSC CSE Mains 2026, dates, photograph requirement, face authentication, and preliminary exam turnout, with no divergent framing. Times Now leads with the administrative guideline (carry photos), while The Economic Times leads with on-ground security and police deployment. Neither source criticises or praises the commission, both adopt a neutral, wire-style reporting tone. The uniform coverage suggests no political or ideological slant on this story. The key number to watch is the final selection rate from the 13,343 shortlisted candidates against 1,016 vacancies, a ratio of roughly 13:1. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Straightforward reporting of UPSC guidelines and face authentication system - m.economictimes.com (neutral report) Focuses on security arrangements and police deployment at exam centres This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-22T06:01:16+00:00. Tags: Civil Services Examination, India, UPSC Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/upsc-mains-2026-candidates-must-carry-two-photos-per-session/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/upsc-mains-2026-candidates-must-carry-two-photos-per-session/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/