India recorded 23,285 cases of coronavirus infection in a day, the highest in around 78 days, taking thetotaltally of COVID-19 cases to1,13,08,846, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

Thedeath toll increased to1,58,306 with 117 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The Supreme Court on Friday said the Central and the state governments should not appoint persons holding government office as election commissioners.

A bench headed by Justice R.F. Nariman said entrusting additional charge of state election commissioner to a government official is a mockery of the Constitution.

The health condition of West Bengal Chief MInister Mamata Banerjee, who is nursing injuries suffered during poll campaigning at Nandigram, is stable and her improvement is satisfactory, doctors said on Friday.

Banerjee slept well at night and is responding well to treatment, said doctors at the state-run SSKM hospital, where the TMC supremo was rushed to on Wednesday after being allegedly pushed by unknown people while campaigning for the assembly elections in Nandigram in Purba Medinipore district.

About 45 per cent of re-contesting MLAs (182 of 405) who switched political parties between 2016 and 2020 joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to a report by poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). This was followed by 38 who joined the Congress and 25 who joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

As many as 170 MLAs deserted the Congress during the elections held between 2016 and 2020, while only 18 BJP legislators switched parties to contest the polls, it said.

In wake of the rising COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the administration in the Akola district has announced a lockdown from Friday till morning. During the lockdown, all shops except essential services will remain closed.

The order was issued was the district administration as the state has witnessed a high number of COVID-19 cases recently.

The Chinese Olympic Committee has offered vaccine doses to be used for participants at this year's Tokyo Olympics and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday.

The Tokyo Olympics, postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, were the first Games outside wartime to be cancelled but have been rescheduled for July 23 to August 8.

Maharashtra is reeling under a fresh surge of COVID-19 cases. The latest shocking news comes from Maharashtra's Latur city where 44 students of a hostel were tested COVID-19 positive on Thursday, a health department official confirmed.

According to the official, last month, 47 other students from the same hostel were found infected with the coronavirus. Students between Class 8 to Class 10 are provided accommodation in this hostel.

To remove encroachment on the roads, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth led government has swung into action. Orders have been issued to clear the roads that have been encroached in the name of religious places.

Instructions were issued to all the Mandalayuktas and District Magistrates in this regard on Thursday. The authorities have been asked to initiate necessary actions and submit a report by March 14.

Voting for 12 municipal corporations and 71 municipalities and Nagar panchayats in Andhra Pradesh is underway on Wednesday.

Elections are being held for 2,214 wards in 12 municipal corporations and 71 municipalities from 7 AM to 5 PM.

In 12 municipal corporations, there are 671 divisions. In 90 of those divisions, a candidate won unanimously without contest.

Shares of information technology (IT) companies were in focus at the bourses on Wednesday, with KPIT Technologies, L&T Technology Services (LTTS) and Mindtree hitting their respective record highs on the BSE in intra-day trade.

Among indviudal stocks, Coforge surged nearly 7 per cent to Rs 2,750, while Larsen & Toubro Infotech gained 4 per cent to Rs 4,070 in intra-day trade on the BSE. Zensar Technologies, LTTS, Wipro, Mindtree and Mphasis were up in the range of 2 per cent to 3 per cent, while, Infosys, HCL Technologies and Tech Mahindra were up between 1 per cent and 2 per cent.

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