With the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election having gained notoriety for being powered by big money, the Election Commission is on high alert in this election.
Since August last year, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election, poll personnel have already seized cash and other goods worth ₹537 crore in Karnataka. The seizures include ₹151 crore in cash, liquor worth ₹42 crore, drugs worth ₹126 crore, gold worth ₹71 crore and other items valued at ₹144 crore. Besides, the Election Commission has seized ₹43.62 crore from March 16, when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force, till date.
During the Assembly polls of 2023, the total pre-poll seizures in Karnataka, including cash, liquor, drugs, and precious metals, had touched a whopping ₹733.43 crore till the day of election on May 10. This is excluding ₹288.25 crore worth confiscations by the Enforcement Directorate.
Six times higher
This was over six times higher than what was recorded during the 2018 Assembly polls when ₹115. 91 crore had been seized. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, ₹88.27 crore was seized, according to data from the Election Commission.
In fact, the 2023 Assembly election seizures are over ₹400 crore more than the pre-poll seizures made in the previous four elections in Karnataka. While ₹14.42 crore was seized in 2013 Assembly polls, ₹28.08 crore was confiscated in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, ₹185.74 crore in the 2018 Assembly polls and ₹88.27 crore in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Of the ₹733.43 crore, the highest seizures were made by the Departments of Commercial Taxes, Police, Excise and Income Tax. A major portion of the total seizures, including cash, liquor, drugs, and precious metals were made in Bengaluru Urban followed by Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga.
Vigilance, monitoring
Venkatesh Kumar R., Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Karnataka, told The Hindu, “This time the bar has further been raised for ensuring inducement-free elections. While banks have been instructed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide information on any suspicious digital transactions at the district level, there will be strict enforcement activity by various agencies.”
Pointing out that distribution of freebies was rampant in 2023, Mr. Kumar said, “The two largest freebie hauls that were seized were from Bengaluru and Shivamogga. While freebies worth ₹5.5 crore were seized in Shivamogga, a consignment of freebies worth ₹3.6 crore was seized in Byatarayanapura in Bengaluru,” Mr. Kumar said.
“Besides, weed worth ₹120 crore was seized in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh. We had information that part of this consignment was to be transported to Karnataka,” he said.
Flying squads
“This time we have 2,357 flying squads, 2,669 static surveillance teams, 257 video viewing teams, 647 video surveillance teams and 258 accounting teams. Of the total 900 checkposts, as many as 172 have been set up at inter-State borders to track the movement and distribution of goods and monetary transactions. Apart from this, 40 Excise checkposts, 19 Forest checkposts, and 15 Transport checkposts have also been set up in the State border,” he added.
