An official statement said that through systematic ticket checking drives, the railway apprehended passengers travelling without valid tickets, marking an increase of nearly 10 per cent compared to 28.01 lakh passengers during the same period last year

According to the SEC, 33,247 nominations were filed, of which 24,771 were declared valid after scrutiny. Out of these, 8,840 candidates withdrew their nominations before the deadline at 3 pm on Friday