Over ₹ 96 crore in cash, 14.27 lakh litre of liquor worth ₹ 25.22 crore and more than 4,700 kg of narcotics valued at ₹ 19.83 crore have been seized, with the maximum from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, by the Election Commission-appointed surveillance and expenditure monitoring teams in the five poll-bound states.
As per official data compiled since the announcement of polls till January 28, 2017, U.P. has witnessed the maximum seizure of cash at ₹ 87.67 crore followed by ₹ 6.60 crore from Punjab, ₹ 1.27 crore in Goa, ₹ 47.06 lakh in Uttarakhand and ₹ 8.13 lakh in Manipur.
In other illegal inducements suspected to be used to lure voters in these States, a whopping 14.27 lakh litres of liquor worth ₹ 25.22 crore has been seized by Election Commission appointed police and excise teams in the respective States.
In U.P. these seizures were recorded at 8.01 lakh litre worth ₹ 20.62 crore followed by over 5 lakh litre spirits worth ₹ 2.69 crore seized in Punjab, over 36,000 litre liquor worth ₹ 93.91 lakh in Uttarakhand, 71,000 litre worth ₹ 81.80 lakh in Goa and beer and other hard spirits worth ₹ 15.14 lakh in Goa.
In Punjab’s Bathinda on Saturday, 1 lakh liquor bottles were seized by surveillance teams for which the valuation is being done.
Drug seizures by the anti-narcotics agencies and police teams was seen maximum in Punjab as the total haul has been recorded at 4,774 kg valued at ₹ 19.83 crore, with Punjab accounting for 2,632 kg worth ₹ 12.30 crore followed by 2,035 kg worth ₹ 4.89 crore seized in U.P., over ₹ 2 crore in Manipur, 6.85 kg of the same consignment worth ₹ 34.22 lakh in Goa and about ₹ 28.54 lakh worth contraband in Uttarakhand.
The total volume of drug seizures has doubled in a span of 10 days, the data revealed, adding the varieties include heroin, poppy husk, charas, Ganja and smack among others.
The EC has appointed about 200 election expenditure observers apart from other central observers to keep a check on black money and illegal inducements used to bribe voters at the hustings in these States.
The Assembly elections in these five States will be held between February 4 and March 8. Counting of votes for all States will take place on March 11.
