Cash, liquor and other inducements seizures cross Rs 650 crore ahead of Assembly polls: ECI
NEW DELHI, APR 5 : Ahead of assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory (UT) and by-polls in several other states, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday announced a massive surge in enforcement action by agencies.
It said that confiscations of items meant for illicit inducements have exceeded Rs 650 crore.
The poll panel said that authorities have seized assets worth Rs 651.51 crore since the rollout of the Electronic Seizure Management System (ESMS) on February 26.
These recoveries include unaccounted cash, liquor, narcotic substances, precious metals and other items suspected to be used to influence voters during the election period.
Among the states, West Bengal recorded the highest value of seizures at Rs 319 crore. It was followed by Tamil Nadu with Rs 170 crore, Assam at Rs 97 crore, Kerala with Rs 58 crore, and Puducherry reporting Rs 7 crore.
Also, West Bengal reported the highest recovery of Liquor (Rs 55 crore) and Freebies (Rs 150 crore), whereas Tamil Nadu recoded highest recovery of Cash (Rs 30 Crore) and Drugs (Rs 67 crore).
In a bid to maintain the integrity of the electoral process, the Commission has significantly strengthened its monitoring framework.
More than 5,100 flying squads have been deployed to respond rapidly to complaints, with instructions to take action within a strict 100-minute window. In parallel, over 5,200 Static Surveillance Teams are conducting routine and surprise inspections at sensitive points.
Senior officials, including Chief Secretaries, Chief Electoral Officers and Directors General of Police from poll-bound and neighbouring states, have been directed to ensure that elections remain peaceful and free from coercion or undue influence, the poll panel said, while reiterating that all measures must strictly comply with the Model Code of Conduct.
At the same time, the poll watchdog has cautioned enforcement teams against causing unnecessary inconvenience to the public.
To address grievances arising from checks and inspections, dedicated District Grievance Committees have been put in place.
The Commission also encouraged voters and political parties to actively report any violations through the CVIGIL feature available on the ECINET platform, enabling swift action against electoral malpractices.
-PTI
