Cash seized by the enforcement agencies monitored by the Election Commission (EC) in the five States where the Assembly elections were held during the past month has increased almost four-fold from the amount so impounded in 2012.
“During the 2012 elections, a total of ₹50.78 crore was seized from Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh. This time round, ₹184.85 crore was seized,” an Election Commission official said.
While the highest of ₹119.03 crore was seized from various parts of Uttar Pradesh, ₹58.02 crore was seized from Punjab. The agencies detected ₹3.38 crore in Uttarakhand, ₹2.24 crore in Goa and ₹2.18 crore in Manipur.
Liquor haul
The agencies seized 37.26 lakh litres of liquor estimated ₹83.21 crore from the five States after the Model Code of Conduct was put in place on January 4. As much as 56,191 litres estimated at ₹2.82 crore was seized in 2012.
“The surveillance teams also seized gold, silver and other expensive articles worth ₹52 crore,” the official said.
