30 per cent candidates contesting Assembly Elections in Odisha have criminal background: ADR report

A bench of Justices R Mahadevan and Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha delivered the ruling while dismissing civil appeals filed by the Central government - Ministry of Personnel and Training (MoPT) challenging judgments which had granted relief to certain OBC candidates in the Civil Services Examination.

Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday distributed appointment letters to 5,754 candidates under the Education and Power Department at a function held at the Veterinary College playground, Khanapara in Guwahati.

According to sources, the meeting involved extensive discussions on around 160 Assembly constituencies across the state. During the deliberations, the party is learnt to have finalised candidates for nearly 145 seats, out of 294 assembly seats in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, marking significant progress in the selection process.

Earlier, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that the upcoming assembly elections in Kerala are expected to set a benchmark for democratic practices, expressing confidence in the preparedness of the state's election machinery and cooperation from political parties.

The West Bengal government on Thursday provided officers of requisite seniority for being appointed as Returning Officers for the forthcoming Assembly Elections, on the insistence of the Election Commission of India.