Bhubaneswar: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha Surendra Kumar held an all-party meeting here Tuesday to sensitise the parties about the new guidelines issued by Election Commission of India (ECI) to be followed during the polls.
Representatives of various political parties attended the meeting. The CEO informed the leaders about the new guidelines introduced for the elections this year.
Earlier, candidates contesting polls had to declare only the last IT return for self, spouse and dependents. Now, it is mandatory for the contestants to declare their income tax returns of last five years and details of foreign assets possessed by them, Kumar said at the meeting.
Besides, the EC has made it compulsory for the candidates to give their PAN card details and advertise their criminal antecedents in TV and newspapers at least three times during campaigning for the elections, Kumar added.