New Delhi: Drugs were the most sought after contraband to influence voters in West Bengal, while it was gold and cash in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry and liquor in Assam.
According to a report by the Election Commission accessed by ThePrint, drugs, cash, gold and other freebies — ranging from mobiles, fans to hilsa fish — worth Rs 300 crore have been seized by the poll spending observer in West Bengal as of 15 April.
The report states that the amount is eight times the total seizures of the 2016 assembly polls — when illegal goods worth Rs 44 crore were seized — with at least three phases to go in these elections. Bengal saw voting for the fifth phase Saturday.
According to the report, drugs or narcotics worth Rs 118.83 crore were seized in West Bengal but drugs worth Rs 34.41 crore were also seized in Assam while the figure was Rs 4 crore and Rs 2 crore for Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively. The report does not mention what sort of drugs were seized.
It, however, adds that in the southern states, the maximum seizures were of gold and cash.
Drug, mobiles, hilsa to influence voters in Bengal
An Election Commission of India (EC) official told ThePrint that it had deployed 11 agencies, among them the excise department, the income tax department, state police and narcotics bureau, to keep an eye on parties’ attempts to influence voters in West Bengal.
The EC report states that the agencies seized, apart from the drugs of Rs 118 crore, freebies such as hilsa fish, fans and mobiles worth Rs 88 crore, cash worth Rs 50 crore, liquor worth Rs 30 crore and gold worth Rs 12 crore.
Many of the seizures were at the Bangladesh border, the easiest transit point for illegal money.
“It is clear how much money is flowing in these assembly elections to buy votes,” the EC official said. “The election is still not completed in Bengal and it is only the tip of the iceberg. The final figure of illegal money will come out after the final scrutiny. What is most astonishing is the use of drugs to influence voters.”
The report does not mention which parties were the offenders.
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Gold & cash preferred methods to buy votes in Tamil Nadu, Kerala
The EC data shows Tamil Nadu topped the list for the use of cash to influence voters. Around Rs 236 crore of cash was seized in Tamil Nadu, the highest among the four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry that went to polls this time around.
Tamil Nadu was followed by West Bengal, where Rs 50 crore in cash was seized; Assam (Rs 27 crore), Kerala (Rs 22.58 crore) and Puducherry (Rs 5.52 crore).
In Tamilnadu, besides cash, gold worth Rs 176.46 core was seized during the elections. According to the report, this was followed by Kerala (gold worth Rs 50 crore), Puducherry (Rs 27.42 crore), West Bengal (Rs 12.07 crore) and Assam (Rs 3.69 crore).
Liquor most sought after in Assam
Assam, however, topped the list for the most liquor seizures in this election season.
In Assam, liquor worth Rs 41.97 crore was seized up until the final phase of elections was held on 6 April.
The state was followed by West Bengal, where liquor worth Rs 30 crore was seized; Tamil Nadu (Rs 5.27 crore), Kerala (Rs 5.16 crore) and Puducherry (Rs 70 lakh).
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Tamil Nadu the worst offender
The worst offender in terms of illegal money flow during the elections was Tamil Nadu, the report states.
The state voted in a single phase on 6 April but by then, the total seizure of illegal money and substances was worth Rs 446 crore. While Bengal came second with Rs 300 crore, it was followed by Assam (Rs 122.34 crore), Kerala (Rs 84.91 crore) and Puducherry (Rs 36.95 crore).
In the 2016 assembly elections in these four states and Puducherry, the total seizures was Rs 225.77 crore. That has now risen nearly four times to nearly Rs 1,000 crore. This with three phases of elections till left in West Bengal.
The seizures in just Tamil Nadu and West Bengal alone have beaten the total amount of the 2016 elections.
Trilochan Shastri of the Association for Democratic Rights (ADR), however, told ThePrint that these were conservative figures put out by the EC.
“There is blatant misuse of funds by political parties to influence voters,” Shastri said. “There appears to be different rules for individuals and political parties. Can you imagine what would happen if a person was caught with so much drugs and money? But no action is taken against political parties.”
“On the ground, every poll observer and intelligence agencies know what is happening. How money transactions take place but they usually want to maintain the status quo and don’t want to investigate the matter for too long,” he added. “Our democracy is at a threat due to money power. Those who have huge funds can upset the whole democratic process and distort the playing field.”
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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