NEW DELHI: Seizures made as part of the Election Commission’s expenditure monitoring process for ongoing assembly polls have already surpassed the figures for 2016 elections in the poll bound states. With cash, liquor, drugs, freebies and precious metals worth Rs 331 crore have been seized till March 16, against Rs 226 crore seized in 2016.
As per data put out by EC of cumulative seizures made in the five poll-bound states, cash totalling Rs 89.48 crore, liquor worth Rs 28.93 crore, drugs worth Rs 75.67 crore, freebies worth Rs 48.52 crore and precious metals worth Rs 88.87 crore were recovered by the law enforcement agencies, special surveillance teams and flying squads between announcement of polls and March 16.
The total cumulative seizures in Tamil Nadu were the highest at Rs 127.64 crore, followed by West Bengal at Rs 112.59 crore, Assam at Rs 63.75 crore, Kerala at Rs 21.77 crore and Puducherry at Rs 5.72 crore.
While Tamil Nadu accounted for the highest cash seizures at Rs 50.86 crore (56% of total cash seizures), West Bengal topped in seizures of drugs (worth Rs 47.4 crore, constituting 62% of total seizures) and freebies (worth Rs 29.42 crore). Assam reported the highest seizures of liquor, valued at Rs 17.25 crore.
EC on Wednesday described the high value of seizures in the current polls as an outcome of its “huge push” to curb menace of money power during elections.
EC has deployed 295 expenditure observers across the five poll-bound states/UT. It has also appointed five special expenditure observers, including two common to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and one each in West Bengal, Kerala and Assam. After due assessment, 259 assembly constituencies across the five states/UTs have been marked as expenditure-sensitive constituencies for more focussed vigil.
EC had also convened various meetings with senior officials of enforcement agencies in the poll-bound states and UT. Also sending the importance of central enforcement agencies in election expenditure monitoring process, the commission had on March 2 met revenue secretary, CBDT chairman, CBIC chairman and Director-FIU to discuss necessary strategies.
Distributing cash and gifts during the electoral process comes under the definition of “bribery”, an offence both under 171B of IPC and under R.P. Act, 1951.
With the drive for curbing inducements that vitiate electoral process intensifying, the seizure figures are expected to rise further, EC said on Wednesday.