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Rs.731 crore-worth drugs seized in Punjab

Chandigarh: Punjab authorities have seized drugs worth Rs.731 crore and 7.5 lakh litres of illicit and country liquor in the run-up to the April 30 Lok Sabha polls in the state, an election officer said

Over 30 lakh capsules and tablets, used as intoxicants, were also seized in the past nearly six weeks.

Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats go to the polls April 30. As many as 253 candidates are in the fray.

The biggest contest is in Amritsar between BJP's Arun Jaitley and former chief minister and Congress leader Amarinder Singh. The BJP dumped sitting MP, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, to field Jaitley this time.

Other big contests are in Bathinda and Gurdaspur. In Bathinda, Harsimrat Badal, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, is being challenged by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's estranged nephew and former finance minister Manpreet Badal.

In Gurdaspur, sitting Congress MP and state party chief Pratap Singh Bajwa is being challenged by BJP's Vinod Khanna. The later has been Gurdaspur MP thrice earlier.