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New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday instructed various agencies to share intelligence on economic offences to curb expenditure by candidates and parties during the Bihar Assembly elections.
The direction was given by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at a meeting of the Multi-Departmental Committee on Election Intelligence (MDCEI), which was attended by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
The meeting was aimed at preparing a comprehensive roadmap to combat the pernicious effects of cash and other inducements in elections.
Heads of enforcement agencies including the CBDT, CBIC, ED, DRI, CEIB, FIUIND, RBI, IBA, NCB, RPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, BCAS, AAI and Department of Post took part in the meeting. The Bihar Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, State Police Nodal Officer (SPNO) and Bihar Chief Electoral Officer also joined the meeting online.
An official statement said various agencies briefed the EC regarding their preparation, steps taken and proposed to be taken for ensuring inducement free elections. The briefings on a wide-range of topics pertaining to curbing the use of money and other inducements to vitiate elections were made, it said.
Emphasising the need for intra agency coordination in each enforcement agency at national, state and district levels, the EC also directed the agencies to map the constituencies to check transportation of smuggled goods, drugs, liquor and cash, including fake currency, inter-state borders and international borders.
The agencies should follow the policy of ‘zero-tolerance’ for free and fair elections in Bihar, the EC said. Officials said measures to check transportation of smuggled goods, drugs, liquor and cash, including fake currency, through inter-state routes were also discussed.