Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | EC seizes cash, drugs, liquor worth Rs 8,889 crore since March; Gujarat sees highest seizure

New Delhi: Cash, drugs, liquor and freebies worth Rs 8,889 crore were seized across the country since March 1 under Election Commission’s watch with Gujarat topping the list of seizures accounting for Rs 1,461.73 crore. Election-time seizures are all set to cross Rs 9,000 crore-mark soon.

Of the total seizures, drugs topped the list with Rs 3,958.85 crore followed by freebies Rs 2,006.56 crore, precious metals Rs 1,260.33 crore, cash Rs 849.15 crore and liquor Rs 814.85 crore between March 1 and May 18, EC data showed.

Rajasthan with seizures worth Rs 1,133.82 crore followed Gujarat in total seizures. Maharashtra had seizures worth Rs 685.81 crore while Delhi had Rs 653.31 crore and Karnataka Rs 554.41 crore.

With the EC laying “special emphasis” on drug seizures, analysis of data found that states and union territories which used to be transit zones are “increasingly becoming consumption territories”.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, “Precise intel-based collaborative efforts by agencies against drugs and narcotics is the need of the hour to root out the role of dirty money of drug trade in elections and more importantly, and holistically, to save the future of youth and thereby, the country”. Drug seizures accounted for 45 per cent of total seizures.

Gujarat accounted for seizures of drugs worth Rs 1,187.8 crore, the highest for any state, followed by Punjab Rs 665.67 crore, Delhi Rs 358.92 crore, Tamil Nadu Rs 330.91 crore, Maharashtra Rs 265.51 crore and Uttar Pradesh Rs 234.79 crore. Drug seizure in Karnataka was Rs 29.84 crore.

In Gujarat, three high-value seizures of drugs took place in three days when authorities recovered drugs worth Rs 892 crore.

The highest cash haul was in Telangana (Rs 114.41 crore) followed by Karnataka Rs 92.55 crore, Delhi Rs 90.79 crore and Andhra Pradesh Rs 85.32 crore.

Karnataka topped the list of liquor seizure with authorities seizing 1.47 crore litres worth Rs 175.36 crore. In Telangana, which came second, 30 lakh litres worth Rs 76.26 crore were seized.

Rajasthan was on top of the list in seizures of freebies and other materials with Rs 756.77 crore followed by Madhya Pradesh Rs 177.45 crore and Karnataka Rs 162.01 crore.

When it comes to recovery of precious metals, Delhi topped the list with Rs 195.01 crore followed by Maharashtra Rs 188.18 crore. Karnataka recorded such seizures, which were valued at Rs 94.66 crore.