Election Commission seizes Rs 11 crore illegal cash in poll-bound states

Election authorities in the five poll-bound states have so far seized over Rs 11 crore ‘illegal cash’, with the maximum of Rs 7.44 crore being recovered in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is followed by Kerala where Rs 2.97 crore cash has been recovered by the authorities so far. In West Bengal, the figure stands at Rs 53.10 lakh while Rs 22.55 lakh has been seized from Assam. In Puducherry, Rs. 15,000 illegal cash has been seized, the Commission said in New Delhi. The model code of conduct came into force on March 4 when the Assembly polls were announced to the five states. Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and union territory of Puducherry will be held between April 4 and May 16, spread over 43 days. The Commission, as part of its measures to curb black money and illegal funds in the polls, has deployed ‘expenditure observers’ drew from central revenue services like the Income Tax and Customs and Excise departments. The Election Commission, in order to keep a track of huge cash spent during the polls, has also asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), both agencies under the Union Finance Ministry, to keep a strict vigil on movement of unaccounted cash.