The Election Commission (EC) has detected 42 cases of “paid news” during the Karnataka Assembly poll, which passed off peacefully on Sunday.
Briefing journalists, a spokesman of the Commission said during the run up to the poll 71 suspected cases of paid news were found, of which notices were issued in 61 cases. Finally, the Commission was able to confirm 42 such cases, with Dakshina Kannada district reporting as many as 11 cases.
Though the EC has been detecting “paid news” in every poll, so far no one has been caught in any case, except the one relating to the then MLA of Rashtriya Parivartan Dal in Uttar Pradesh, Umlesh Yadav, who was disqualified by the EC for three years in 2011 vis-à-vis non-submission of proper accounts relating to “paid news.”
A total of Rs. 21 crore in cash and 11 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs. 7.79 crore were seized during the poll. However, so far no State could beat Tamil Nadu, wherein during the 2011 Legislative Assembly poll, unaccounted cash worth Rs. 54 crore was seized.
