New Delhi: The Election Commission has seized over Rs. 195 crore in cash from all over the country so far, with Andhra Pradesh contributing Rs. 118 crore.
The commission's teams have also seized 26.56 lakh litres of liquor and 70 kg of heroin.
11,469 first information reports have been registered across states against distribution of cash and illegal inducements during campaigning for the general elections which began yesterday.
In its effort to curb the use of black money and illegal funds in the elections, the Election Commission or EC has deployed 659 officers drawn from central revenue services like the Income Tax and Customs and Excise departments, in all the Lok Sabha constituencies and state Assembly seats where polling will be held in the next 35 days.
They have been reporting cash seizures since the polls were notified on March 5.
According to official data till Monday, Election Expenditure Observers had seized Rs. 118 crore cash in Andhra Pradesh, Rs. 18.31 crore in Tamil Nadu, Rs. 14.40 crore in Maharashtra, Rs. 10.46 crore in Uttar Pradesh and over Rs. four crore in Punjab, apart from smaller sums confiscated in other states.
The EC, in order to keep a track of the huge cash flow during the elections, has also asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), both agencies under the Union Finance Ministry, to keep a strict vigil while elections are on.
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