Election Commission’s crackdown: Seizures of illegal cash, drugs, and freebies surge to rs 588 crore ahead of polls | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Poll inducements worth over Rs 588 crore have been seized by agencies under the supervision of Election Commission, since the announcement of assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand and bypolls across 14 states.
While cumulative seizures of inducements like illegal cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies in Maharashtra have already touched Rs 280 crore, as compared to Rs 103.6 crore in 2019 assembly polls, the value of seizures in Jharkhand is up at Rs 158 crore from Rs 18.8 crore in 2019. While the individual rise in seizures in Maharashtra stands at 170%, that for Jharkhand is a whopping 742%. Combined, the seizures in two states so far are 3.5 times in value as compared to the last assembly election.
Among the total Rs 588 crore seizures, freebies worth Rs 241 crore make up 40% of the value. The second highest seized item is precious metals (Rs 104.2 crore), followed by cash at Rs 92.5 crore, drugs at Rs 68.2 crore and liquor at Rs 52.8 crore.
Precious metals, with a value of Rs 90.5 crore, account for the highest seizures in Maharashtra, followed by Rs 73.1 crore confiscated in cash, Rs 38 crore each in drugs and liquor and Rs 42.5 crore in freebies.
In Jharkhand, its freebies first at 128 crore, followed by cash at Rs 10.5 crore, drugs at Rs 9 crore, liquor at Rs 7.1 crore, and precious metals at Rs 4.2 crore. Agencies, acting at the behest of EC that has called for tight control on the use of moneypower in polls, have also made Rs 118 crore worth of seizures in two parliamentary constituencies and 48 assembly constituencies where byelections are underway. These include Rs 70.6 crore worth of freebies, Rs 21.5 crore worth of drugs, Rs 9.4 crore worth of precious metals, Rs 8.9 crore in cash and Rs 7.6 crore worth of liquor.
EC had, during review meetings earlier with various law enforcement agencies and authorities in the poll-bound states, directed officials to adhere to its ‘zero tolerance’ approach towards any kind of inducements in elections. He also asked for joint teams of multiple agencies to be formed to clamp down on distribution and movement of illicit liquor, drugs, freebies, and cash while the campaign is underway.
Recently, during a meeting with chief secretaries, DGPs, excise commissioners and enforcement agencies’ representatives of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and their neighbouring states and UTs, CEC Rajiv Kumar had called for close vigil on movements across inter-state borders and directed agencies to establish backward linkages of seizures for a wider deterrence.