Assembly elections, bypolls: Incentives worth over Rs588 cr seized by poll panel | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Poll certificates worth over Rs 588 crore have been seized by agencies under the supervision of the Election Commission since the announcement of assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, and bypolls in 14 states. While the cumulative seizure of incentives such as cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies in Maharashtra has already reached Rs 280 crore, compared to Rs 103.6 crore in the 2019 Assembly elections, the value of seizures in Jharkhand has risen to Rs 158 crore from Rs 18.8 crore in 2019.
While the individual increase in seizures in Maharashtra is 170%, for Jharkhand it is a whopping 742%. Combined, seizures in the two states so far are 3.5 times that of the last Assembly elections. Of the seizures worth Rs 588 crore, freebies worth Rs 241 crore constitute 40% of the value. The second highest item seized 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, worth Rs 90.5 crore, account for the highest seizures in Maharashtra, followed by Rs 73.1 crore seized in cash, Rs 38 crore each in drugs and liquor, and Rs 42.5 crore in free gifts.
In Jharkhand, freebies accounted for the highest seizure at Rs 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 on the orders of the EC, which has called for strict control on the use of money power in polls, have also made Rs 118 crore worth of seizures in two parliamentary constituencies and 48 parliamentary constituencies where bypolls are underway. These include Rs 70.6 crore in freebies, Rs 21.5 crore in drugs, Rs 9.4 crore in precious metals, Rs 8.9 crore in cash and Rs 7.6 crore in liquor.
During review meetings earlier with various law enforcement agencies and authorities in the election-dependent states, the EC had directed officials to adhere to its ‘zero tolerance’ approach towards any form of election incitement. It had also asked agencies to form joint teams to tackle the distribution and movement of illicit liquor, drugs, freebies and cash while the campaign is underway.