Election Commission makes seizures worth over ₹1k-cr in 5 poll-bound states

According to a statement from the poll panel, Punjab topped the chart with total seizures amounting to ₹510.91 crore, followed by Uttar Pradesh ( ₹307.92 crore), Manipur ( ₹167.83 crore), Uttarakhand ( ₹18.81 crore) and Goa ( ₹12.73 crore).

With the Election Commission stepping up vigil, more than ₹1,000 crore worth of cash, drugs, liquor and freebies have been seized so far in the ongoing assembly polls in five states, a nearly four-fold increase in such seizures over the previous round of elections in 2017.

Election Commission of India building. (HTfile photo)

According to a statement from the poll panel, Punjab topped the chart with total seizures amounting to ₹510.91 crore, followed by Uttar Pradesh ( ₹307.92 crore), Manipur ( ₹167.83 crore), Uttarakhand ( ₹18.81 crore) and Goa ( ₹12.73 crore).

The total seizure in the five states was over ₹1,018 crore, a nearly four-fold increase over the total seizure of ₹299.84 crore made during the 2017 assembly elections in these states.

In the five states, the total cash seizure amounted to ₹140.29 crore, while more than 82 lakh litres of liquor, valued at ₹99.84 crore, was also confiscated.

Drugs worth ₹569.52 crore, precious metals worth ₹115.054 crore and freebies worth ₹93.5 crore were also seized.

“Apart from above mentioned seizure figures, the Commission’s visit galvanised enforcement authorities as the agencies seized drugs worth ₹109 crore in Punjab and more than eight lakh litres of liquor in Uttar Pradesh in the run-up to the elections,” the commission said in the statement.

The commission further said it had strengthened monitoring of expenditure in the run-up to the elections in the five states through a multi-pronged strategy.