The Election Commission stated in a statement on Friday that more than Rs 1,000 crore in cash, narcotics, alcohol, and freebies have been recovered so far in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa. When compared to the 2017 assembly elections in these states, the number of seizures has increased by more than fourfold.
Punjab has the biggest volume of booze seized, with 59 lakh litres, giving the impression that the state's liquor supply is overflowing. Punjab was followed by Uttar Pradesh, which had 19 lakh litres of alcohol seized.
Punjab was also on top when it came to drugs, with narcotics worth Rs 376 crores recovered, followed by Rs 143 crores in Manipur.
With Rs 91 crores in cash seizures, Uttar Pradesh topped the list.
In a statement, EC said, "Apart from above mentioned seizure figures, the Commission's visit galvanised enforcement authorities as the agencies seized drugs worth Rs 109 crore in Punjab and more than eight lakh litres of liquor in Uttar Pradesh in the run-up to the elections.”
The Commission stated that it has tightened expenditure monitoring in the five states in the run-up to the elections using a multi-pronged effort.
The EC convened repeated meetings with heads of enforcement agencies such as the CBDT, CBIC, NCB, and Excise, as well as senior officials from bordering states to poll-going states, to develop a comprehensive framework to ensure "inducement-free" elections.
During the meetings in the states, the EC also conducted detailed assessments of law enforcement agencies and police nodal officers, emphasizing the importance of vigilant and effective monitoring of items intended to influence voters.
The European Commission has dispatched 228 spending observers. The European Commission has also appointed special spending observers, officers with a proven track record in the field.
EC further said, "The strategy included appointment of experienced officers as Expenditure Observers, sensitising and reviewing a larger ambit of enforcement agencies for more coordinated and comprehensive monitoring, ensuring adequate availability of field level teams in the monitoring process."
The special observers have been visiting their assigned states extensively, having meetings with the CEO's office, district administration, and law enforcement authorities.
Following a thorough analysis, 63 assembly constituencies in these five states have been designated as expenditure-sensitive constituencies, requiring increased scrutiny.
The assembly elections, which began on February 10 and will end on March 7, are divided into seven phases. On March 10, the votes will be counted.
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