Gujarat polls: ECI steps up vigilance against drug trafficking

According to ECI, a visit by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar and his team of delegates in Gujarat in September and again in October resulted in tight monitoring which eventually lead to drug seizures in large quantities

Ahead of the state assembly elections, the election commission of India (ECI) informed on Wednesday that it has stepped up its vigilance against drug trafficking in Gujarat and surrounding areas.

ECI hailed the results of drug seizures and stated that the drug hauls in the state have increased by 28 times since 2017 (Representative Photo)

Gujarat has been the hotspot for drug seizures in the past one year with major drug hauls being carried out at ports and in cities in the state.

The ECI on Wednesday released a statement in which hailed the results of drug seizures and stated that the drug hauls Gujarat have increased by 28 times since 2017.

“It was the comprehensive strategy, detailed planning and rigorous follow-ups by the election commission behind the high number of seizures,” ECI said.

“The total seizures during the 2017 state polls were worth ₹27.21 crores while as per official records, as on November 29, 2022, the total drug seizure amounted to ₹290.24 crores,” ECI stated in its release.

According to the ECI, a visit by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar and his team of delegates in Gujarat in September and again in October resulted in tight monitoring which eventually lead to drug seizures in large quantities.

“The commission, during its visit, took extensive reviews of enforcement agencies, district authorities, and police nodal officers to emphasize close and effective monitoring of items meant for influencing voters,” read the release.

The ECI informed that it has deployed special expenditure observer B. Murali Kumar, a retd. IRS officer of the 1983 batch, who has formidable domain expertise, to oversee the preparations and coordinate with enforcement agencies.

“For effective monitoring to curb money power during elections in Gujarat, the ECI has deployed 69 expenditure observers. Moreover, 27 assembly constituencies have also been marked as expenditure-sensitive constituencies for further closure monitoring,” the election body added.

This release by the ECI comes in the backdrop of a massive drug seizure in Gujarat’s Vadodara wherein the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) seized illegal MD drugs with street value staked at around Rs. 500 crores on Wednesday.

The drugs were seized during a raid at a factory cum godown on the outskirts of Vadodara.

Five people have been arrested in the drug bust and further investigation is currently underway to bust a larger drug network, according to ATS.