The Election Commission said drugs, cash, and other inducements, meant to influence voters in the ongoing Lok Sabha election 2024, have been seized by authorities, amounting to a whopping Rs 8,889 crore.
Lok Sabha Election 2024: The Election Commission Saturday revealed that cash, drugs, and other inducements worth Rs Rs 8,889 crore have been seized by the authorities till the eve of the fifth phase of polling in the ongoing seven-phased Lok Sabha polls.
In a statement, the poll panel said drugs, cash, and other inducements, meant to to influence voters in the ongoing elections, have been seized by authorities, amounting to a whopping Rs 8,889 crore, with narcotics forming the biggest chunk of the total seizures at around Rs Rs 3,959 crore.
They said that drugs, liquor, precious metals, freebies and cash influence elections in varying degrees, some flowing directly as inducements while others through reduced levels of circulation of money, adding that special emphasis has been laid on the seizure of narcotics and psychotropic substances.
Analysis of data found that states and Union Territories that used to be transit zones are increasingly becoming consumption territories of drugs, the poll authority said.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad, Narcotics Control Bureau and the Indian Coast Guard in joint operations have made three high-value seizures of drugs in just three days, amounting to Rs 892 crore, the poll panel noted.
Rs 849.15 crore in cash, Rs 814.85 crore worth of liquor, drugs worth Rs 3,958.85 crore and precious metals worth Rs 1,260.33 crore have been seized, it added.
Phase five of the ongoing seven-phased Lok Sabha Election 2024 will be held on Monday, May 20. Votes will be counted on June 4 and results declared on the same day.
(With PTI inputs)
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