Cash seizure up by 263 per cent this assembly polls, Rs 184 cr seized: EC

6,264 kgs of drugs was seized from UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa during election period

Cash seizure in the just-concluded assembly elections in five states has seen a 263 per cent rise as compared to the 2012 polls, the Election Commission said today.

The quantity of drugs and narcotics seized this time has also gone up, but its value has gone down.

The election authorities have been working toward ending distribution of cash, drugs and liquor to ensure that these are not used as means to lure voters ahead of polls.

Interestingly, the poll authorities have also recovered 175 Rado watches this time, besides Rs 52.30 crore worth of precious metals.

While Rs 50.78 crore was recovered in the 2012 assembly polls in these very states, this time Rs 184.85 crore has been seized, data provided by the poll body showed.

Nearly 6,264 kgs of drugs and narcotics worth Rs 31.78 crore were seized from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa during the election period. During the 2012 polls in these states, only 53 kgs of drugs were seized. But its worth was Rs 54 crore.

No reason was immediately available for this difference. But if cheaper drugs are recovered, their value would be less as compared to costlier narcotics even though the quantity could be higher.

The quantity and worth of liquor was also much higher this time. While nearly 56,000 litres of liquor was seized in the 2012 polls worth Rs 2.82 crore, the amount recovered this time was 37.26 lakh litres worth Rs 83.21 crore.