Imphal,  Over 68,000 candidates from five northeastern states have registered their names for the �Agniveer recruitment rallies in connection with the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme for short-term recruitment into the armed forces, a defence spokesman said on Thursday.

The spokesman said that the registration process for Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and 13 districts of Assam was recently completed.

"The response has been overwhelming with over 68,000 candidates registering for the six rallies," he said.

The spokesman said that registration for Mizoram, Tripura and 20 districts of Assam is now going on and shall close on September 3.

He added that registration for women Agniveers for Corps of Military Police for seven northeastern states is also going on since August 9 and shall close on September 7.