In yet another indication that money and liquor continue to play a big role in the elections notwithstanding the supposedly strict surveillance and monitoring by the Election Commission, cash worth over Rs50 lakh was seized from two places in Ganjam district alone while reports of seizure of liquor kept pouring in from all over the State.
Cash of Rs46,59,800 was seized by a flying squad of the police in presence of Brahmapur SP Aniruddha Singh from the residence of S Eraswamy Reddy at Pitatali village under the Chikiti Assembly segment in the wee hours on Wednesday. The seizure of BJD flags and leaflets at the place left no doubt whatsoever as to who this huge cash belonged to or what it was meant for.
In another incident in the district, which incidentally is Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s ‘home’ area, cash worth Rs4 lakh was seized from one Prashanta Bhoi at the Panthanivas at Rambha on Wednesday. Bhoi, who belongs to Cuttack, has been asked to explain the possession of the cash, said Ganjam SP Ashish Singh. If Bhoi fails to account for the money, now kept at the Rambha police station, it would be confiscated, he added.
Reports of distribution of cash and chicken also came in from the Raghunathpali Assembly constituency in Sundergarh district where Commerce and Transport Minister Subrat Tarai is seeking re-election, on Wednesday evening.BJP workers reportedly thrashed the BJD candidate in the Chilika Assembly seat Raghunath Sahu while he was distributing cash among voters in Odagaon.
Congress candidate in the Boudh Assembly seat Sushant Pradhan and one of his associates were arrested while distributing cash at Kamalpur village under Telibandh panchayat in the constituency.