The Election Commission of India on April 2, 2024 issued transfer orders for top officials in five States namely Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The poll body also appointed special observers in the states of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar which have a population of more than seven crore. Both steps have been taken to ensure a level playing field during the upcoming elections.
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The decision on the transfers was taken as part of the regular review by the Commission during a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, the ECI said in a statement in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Congress released a fresh list of candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. In Andhra Pradesh, fielded Y.S. Sharmila Reddy from the Kadapa parliamentary seat. In Odisha, it announced candidates for 49 out of 147 Assembly seats and eight out of 21 parliamentary seats.
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The BJP too named candidates for 112 out of the 147 Assembly seats in Odisha. The party has retained almost all MLAs in the forthcoming elections and fielded more than 40 new faces in the list of 112 candidates.
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