New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) The agencies under the Election Commission have seized Rs 558 crore worth of cash and freebies, including liquor, drugs and precious metals in the ongoing elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and the various bypolls.
Freebies accounted for more than 40 per cent of the total seizures, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.
Operations in Maharashtra alone has yielded about Rs 280 crore since the announcement of elections, the poll body said on Wednesday.
Another Rs 158 crore worth of seizures have been made so far from Jharkhand, it said.
Combined seizures in the two poll bound states mark a 3.5 times increase as compared to the assembly elections in 2019 when Maharashtra recorded seizures worth Rs 103.61 crore, while it was Rs 18.76 crore in Jharkhand.
Regular follow-ups and reviews with each district, use of information technology and precise data interpretation and active participation of the enforcement agencies have led to significant spurt in seizures, the Election Commission said. Real time reporting of interceptions and seizures with the poll body’s ‘Election Seizure Management System (ESMS)’ has led to regular and precise reviews on expenditure monitoring by the Commission and agencies themselves. Closer vigil is also being kept in the 110 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra – 91 seats and Jharkhand -19 seats which are marked as ‘expenditure sensitive’. PTI NAB AS AS
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