Rs 52 lakh, sarees seized across State

The election authorities seized about Rs 52 lakh in cash and sarees suspected to be meant for luring voters from various parts of the State in the past 24 hours.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anil Kumar Jha said Rs 45 lakh in cash was seized at an APMC yard at Gonikoppal in Kodagu, Rs five lakh at Holehonnur in Shimoga and Rs 1.5 lakh at Athani in Belgaum district, he added.

About 2,000 sarees were seized in Chikkaballapur and 240 bags, each containing 25 kg of rice, were seized at Deodurg in Raichur district. So far, Rs 3.84 crore in cash and liquor worth about Rs 1.64 crore have been seized, Jha told the reporters.

The CEO said the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (OCEO) has decided to set up model polling booths in all LS constituencies. About 100 model booths are planned to be set up in three parliamentary constituencies of Bangalore, he added.

Jha, who demonstrated the use of voter verifiable paper audit trail machine, said people are not allowed to take photographs of the print generated from the machines, which will be installed on an experimental basis in Bangalore South constituency.

As per the Representation of People’s Act, secrecy should be maintained about one’s voting. If a person tries to take a photograph of the print using a camera or a cellphone, she or he would be arrested and action would be taken, he added. The print generated can be preserved for about five years.