Jalgaon (Maharashtra) [India], February 18 (ANI): Atharva Avinash Chauhan, a student from Jalgaon, cleared the JEE Main 2026 (Session 1) examination with an impressive score of 99.78 percentile, breaking a 10- year record at his coaching centre and achieving one of the best results in the entire Khandesh region.

Speaking to ANI, an elated Atharva credited his success to his parents, teachers, and friends, while emphasising the importance of honesty and regularity in exam preparation.

'I am very happy today. Seeing such good marks from me, my parents, teachers, and friends are all happy... I used to be in class from 7 am to 7 pm, attending lectures and studying both... I credit my success to my teachers, friends, and parents... Honesty and regularity are essential in exam preparation,' said Atharva.

His father, Avinash Chauhan, said he was confident his son would score well and cited his consistent academic achievements over the years.

'I'm very happy today. I was fully confident that he'd scored so many marks... His scores in school have always been good. In class 10th, he also scored 97% and came first in the district... He was always a topper in studies,' said Avinash.

He also added that while Atharava maintained a disciplined study routine, he also ensured to take breaks for himself in between.

'Whenever he came home from coaching, he would play games on his mobile for 15-20 minutes or look at his laptop for a little while. But it was limited to that much, and after that, he would sit down to study on his own,' Avinash added.

His coaching teacher, Savita Vani, noted that Atharva broke the 10-year-old record at her coaching centre, which is a golden moment for her.

'I am very happy that Atharva has broken the 10-year record at my coaching centre. He got 99.78 percentile in the January shift of JEE Mains... He has achieved such a good result in the entire Khandesh region. That is a golden moment for me,' said Savita.

While speaking to reporters, she also highlighted Atharva's passion for achieving good results and expressed confidence in his future performance.

'He possessed the qualities necessary for a good result... Atharva has passion, and he will perform equally well in the upcoming exams,' added Savita.

Atharva's achievement has brought pride not only to his family but also to the Jalgaon district and the Khandesh region. With JEE Main Session 2 and JEE Advanced still ahead, Atharva is now preparing to continue his momentum and secure a seat at one of India's premier engineering institutions. (ANI)