Rs 52 Crore Illegal Cash Seized In Poll-Bound States

New Delhi: Illegal cash of over Rs 52 crore has been recovered from the five states facing Assembly polls with Tamil Nadu leading the list following total seizures of Rs 21.4 crore.

Even as the second phase of polls is scheduled for next week in West Bengal and Assam, Election Commission (EC) said the north-eastern state is second on the list with Rs 11.63 crore having been recovered there.

In Kerala, the figure stands at Rs 9.65 crore, while Rs 9.03 crore has been seized in West Bengal. Puducherry has seen seizures of about Rs 60.88 lakh, EC data said.

The cash seizures were made by EC-appointed special flying squads and surveillance teams and by officials drawn from the Income Tax department. "The total progressive figure of seizures made till now is over Rs 52 crore," a senior official said.

The model code of conduct for these polls came into force on March 4 after EC announced the schedule for the Assembly polls in five states.

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The first phase of polling was held on April 4 in Assam and West Bengal and the second part of that phase is slated for April 11.

Elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will be held in one go on May 16.

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EC, as part of its measures to curb the use of black money in the polls, has deployed 'expenditure observers' drawn from central revenue services like Income Tax and the Customs and Excise departments.

In order to keep a tab on the huge cash expenditure during polls, EC has also asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes and the Financial Intelligence Unit -- two agencies under the Union Finance Ministry -- to keep a strict vigil.