Cash, liquor, drugs worth Rs 4 cr seized in J&K, says EC

Jammu: The Election Commission on Monday said that it has seized cash, liquor, drugs and freebies worth Rs 4 crore in Jammu and Kashmir in its crackdown on money power.

A statement by the ECI said that total seizures in Jammu and Kashmir are worth Rs 4.28 crore. This includes cash worth Rs 1.24 crore, liquor worth Rs 63 lakh, drugs worth Rs 2.35 crore and freebies/other items worth Rs 5,59,150.

The seizures made were part of the countrywide operation undertaken by the enforcement agencies.

The Election Commission in a statement said, “With General Elections 2024 underway, the ECI is on track for the highest ever seizures of inducements recorded in the 75-year history of Lok Sabha elections in the country."

It said that countrywide Rs 100 crore has been seized every day since March 1 and a record seizure of over Rs 4,650 crore was made even before the polling begins on April 19. The officials said this seizure is higher than the total of 2019 polls. “This marks a sharp increase over Rs 3,475 crore seized during the entire Lok Sabha election in 2019, ” officials said.

The ECI statement also mentioned: “The seizures have been possible by comprehensive planning, scaled-up collaboration and unified deterrence action from agencies, proactive citizen participation and optimal engagement of technology. Use of black money, over and above political financing and accurate disclosure thereof, may disturb the level playing field in favour of more resourceful parties or candidates in specific geographies.”