As the countdown for 2019 Lok Sabha polls begin, a highly disturbing trend of the use of drugs and narcotics, besides liquor, to woo voters has come to light. The Election Commission (EC) has seized 2,420.15 kg of narcotics worth Rs 133 crore across the country.
The EC has seized cash, illegal liquor, drugs, gold and freebies worth about Rs 562.39 crore across the country since the poll schedule was announced a fortnight ago.
The biggest haul of the EC’s seizure of drugs and narcotics stood at 1,160 kg in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Jharkhand at 657.7 kg, and Madhya Pradesh 282.406 kg. According to EC, it has seized 172 kg of narcotics from Karnataka, 84.30 kg from Punjab, 36.06 kg from Maharashtra, and 21 kg from Nagaland.
As per reports, from heroin, opium, to brown sugar and anti-depressants drugs and narcotic substances are being supplied to influence voters. During the election to five State Assemblies last year, the EC had seized drugs and narcotics worth Rs 17 crore which include brown sugar, smack, opium, ganja, cocaine, denatonium benzoate, methamphetamine, heroin, tablets of antidepressants Alprazolam and Tramadol.
As per data updated till March 25, a total of Rs 157.37 crore cash, Rs 93.64 crore worth of liquor, Rs 133.86 crore drugs, gold and other precious metals worth drugs 169.36 crore, and other freebies worth drugs 12.70 crore have been seized.
The EC has deployed hundreds of general observers, expenditure observers and static and mobile surveillance teams in the country to keep watch on the flow of black money and other illegal gratification so that the level playing field of holding fair polls is not disturbed.
Tamil Nadu recorded the maximum seizure of these illegal inducements, suspected to have been routed and used to bribe voters, worth Rs 107.24 crore, followed by Uttar Pradesh Rs 104.53 crore and Andhra Pradesh Rs 103.4 crore. In Punjab, for instance, during the Assembly polls in 2017, the State had recorded total seizures worth Rs 89.64 crore. Since March 10, when the Model Code of Conduct for Lok Sabha elections kicked in, Punjab has had seizure worth Rs 92.8 crore.
Karnataka saw the total seizure of inducements and cash worth Rs 26.53 crore, Maharashtra Rs 19.11 crore and Telangana Rs 8.2 crore.
Interestingly, in Gujarat, a dry State, EC has confiscated 1.74 lakh litre of liquor worth Rs 4.77 crore till date. Compare this to Bihar, another State with alcohol prohibition, where liquor worth Rs 20 lakh has been seized. Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim have recorded lowest seizures (less than Rs 1 crore) till date. In North-East region, the enforcement team has seized more than Rs 1.50 crore in cash on Tuesday.
The seven phase polls will begin from April 11 and the counting of votes will take place on May 23.