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DIMAPUR — The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reported the highest-ever seizures of inducements in the 75-year history of Lok Sabha elections in India.
According to a press release issued by the ECI on Monday, authorities across the country seized about INR 100 crore daily since March 1, adding up to INR 4,650 crore even before the commencement of the first phase of polling on April 19. This marks an increase of over 33 per cent from the INR 3,475 crore seized during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it said.
Out of the total recoveries exceeding INR 4,658 crore, the cash component amounts to over INR 395 crore, while liquor comprises more than INR 489 crore.
A significant 45 per cent of the seizures consisted of drugs and narcotics worth more than INR 2,069 crore, followed by freebies and other items valued at over INR 1,142 crore as of March 1 to April 13, 2024, the ECI stated.
Notably, the state of Nagaland has maintained a clean record in terms of cash and precious metal value seized by enforcement agencies as of March 1 till April 13.
However, there were seizures of freebies and other items valued at INR 4 crore, followed by drugs worth more than INR 2 crore, and liquor seizures worth more than INR 26 lakh.
In the other north-eastern states, the ECI stated that enforcement agencies have seized over INR 141 crore in the state of Assam, comprising cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, and freebies. The highest seizure was in the form of drugs, valued at over INR 48 crore.
In Arunachal Pradesh, enforcement agencies recovered a total of over INR 13 crore in various forms including cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies. In Manipur approximately INR 44 crore were seized, over INR 35 crore in Meghalaya in the form of cash, liquor, drugs and freebies, while Mizoram saw recoveries worth more than INR 46 crore in cash, liquor, drugs and freebies. Sikkim saw approximately INR 43 lakh seized and Tripura recorded around INR 23 crore confiscated by enforcement agencies, it said.