ECI Seizure: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, which is to begin on April 19, cash, liquor, drugs, and freebies worth over Rs 4,000 crore has been seized, said the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday. According to ECI, with a total of Rs 4,650 crores in seizures, the poll board is on track to record the highest-ever seizures of inducements in the 75-year history of the Lok Sabha elections in the nation, up Rs 175 crore from 2019.
The EC data shows that cash worth Rs 1.2 crores, liquor worth Rs 63 lakh, drugs worth Rs 2.35 crores, precious metals worth Rs 25,800 crores, and freebies worth Rs 5.59 lakh and other items were seized in Jammu and Kashmir. "Total seizures in J-K are worth Rs 4.2 crore," it said.
ECI Seizure: Lowest Seizure In Ladakh
Ladakh had the lowest seizure of any state or union territory, totaling Rs 11,580, from all commodities seized, including liquor. The EC said that it will continue its crackdown ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Jammu & Kashmir has been placed on the 30th position in terms of seizures out of the 36 states and Union territories.
ECI Seizure: EC Records Seizure Worth Over Rs 4000 Crore Ahead Of LS Polls
According to the official statement by the ECI, this is a sharp increase over the Rs 3,475 crores seized during the entire Lok Sabha election in 2019. Significantly, 45 per cent of the seizures are of drugs and narcotics, which are under the special focus of the Commission.
ECI Seizure: Increased Focus On Drug Menace
According to an official statement by ECI, there was a substantial focus on drug seizures, which accounted for approximately 75 per cent of the total seizures in January and February 2024. Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar had emphasized the importance of agencies' efforts in seizing drugs and narcotics during his visits to nodal agencies.
Along with identifying important drug trafficking routes and corridors, the Commission has worked with senior officials from the Narcotics Control Bureau's Directorate General to guarantee that appropriate countermeasures are in place, said ECI.
123 Constituencies Identified As Expenditure Sensitive Constituencies
123 Parliamentary Constituencies are marked as Expenditure Sensitive Constituencies for more focussed vigil. These constituencies had either had a history of distribution of inducements in previous elections or have inter-state and international borders with potential inflow of drugs, cash, and liquor, said the official statements.