To maintain a close watch on poll expenses, the Commission has reportedly identified over five dozen Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh including three Assembly constituencies in Indore where the candidate vying for election may try to influence voters through their money power.
On the directives of the Election Commission, the income-tax department has not only alerted its intelligence sources but also deputed separate teams of income tax officials in those high-profile and prestigious Assembly constituencies where there is wide-spread possibilities of use of black money by the candidates to influence voters in their favours. Besides alerting the income-tax department, the Election Commission has also passed instructions to the banks directing them to keep a constant tab on those accounts having suspicious transactions.
As per the directives of the Election Commission, district polling officials are in constant touch with all the leading banks in the district soliciting details of the transactions related to deposit and credit of money from banking accounts of candidates and their kin in the past two months. The district election officer is keeping a constant watch on transfer of money from a particular bank account to different accounts through RTGS.
Besides, the Commission through the district electoral officer is also keeping a watch on exchange of money which might be use to bribe voters. In case of suspicious looking banking transactions, the flying squads of the district election office will probe into the matter and accordingly will take necessary action if the transactions would be found to have been made to influence the voters. As per the instruction of the Election Commission, the chief election officer has also asked the lead bank manager, Central Bank of India to provide details suspicious banking transaction to the tune of Rs 1 lakh and above to have been made from the bank in the past one month.
Of nine Assembly constituencies in Indore district, Indore-2, Indore-5 and Mhow assembly constituencies have been found to be prone to possible use of black money and money power to influence the voters, accordingly the Commission through the income tax officials is keeping a constant watch on poll expenses and campaign activities of the candidates of both the parties in these Assembly constituencies.