Recently seized liquor at Tharad Police Station in Banaskantha District of Gujarat
Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022
Over 28 times increase in seizures of drugs, alcohol, metals and freebies in Gujarat compared to the 2017 State Assembly elections
Vadodara/New Delhi: In an ongoing operation by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Vadodara (Rural) and Vadodara City, the ATS seized drugs worth Rs. 478 crores from two mephedrone drug manufacturing units. The ATS unearthed about 143 kg of mephedrone (synthetic drug) and detained 5 persons from Nadiad and Vadodara. A criminal case is being registered at ATS Police Station, Ahmedabad under relevant sections of The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The operation is in progress and complete details will be made available once the operation is completed, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said and claimed that the meticulous planning, exhaustive reviews and expenditure monitoring through a host of enforcement agencies by the Commission has produced “stellar results” leading to record seizures in the ongoing Assembly elections in the State of Gujarat.
The total seizures in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly Election were Rs 27.21 crores. Going by the seizure chart as of November 29, 2022, which marks total seizures of Rs 290.24 crores, there is a massive jump in the amount of seizures which is 10.66 times of seizures in 2017. Add to it, the ongoing seizure of drugs, and it becomes whopping 28 times.
“Behind the stupendous rise in seizure figures has been the comprehensive strategy, detailed planning and rigorous follow-ups by the Commission,” the ECI claimed.
For effective monitoring to curb money power in General Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Gujarat, the Election Commission of India has also deployed 69 Expenditure Observers. 27 Assembly Constituencies have been marked as Expenditure Sensitive Constituencies for more closure monitoring in these constituencies. The Commission has also deployed Special Expenditure Observer, B. Murali Kumar, a 1983 Batch retired Indian Revenue Service Officer who has domain expertise, to oversee the preparations and coordinate with Enforcement agencies.
On a similar note, seizures in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections, 2022 where polling concluded on November 12, saw a more than 500% increase over figures of the 2017 Assembly Elections. As compared to Rs 9.03 crore worth of seizures in the 2017 Assembly Elections, the seizures in 2022 rose to Rs 57.24 crore. Even in ongoing bye-elections, 2022 in 1 Parliamentary Constituency and 6 Assembly Constituencies in the States of Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, significant seizures of Rs.5.40 Crores have been made. “The efforts on close monitoring will further continue in the poll-going States till completion of the ongoing elections and the figures of seizure is expected to rise further,” the ECI stated.
– global bihari bureau
