Telangana witnessed a jump of 300% in the amount of seizures done by the state police officials during the Lok Sabha Elections this year, as compared to the 2019 data. Officials from the state police seized cash, freebies and narcotics worth ₹186.14 crore since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect between March 16 and May 10. In contrast, the total seizures during 2019 Lok Sabha elections were ₹46.40 crore.
Seizures worth ₹186.14 crore this election season included liquor worth ₹10.07 crore, narcotics worth ₹7.86 crore, gold and silver worth ₹62.77 crore and freebies worth ₹11.48 crore. Interestingly, seizures in the State were 60% less as compared to Assembly elections of 2023 in which cash and freebies worth ₹471 crore were seized.
Telangana state DGP Ravi Gupta said that officials have made comprehensive security arrangements to ensure the sanctity of the electoral process and to uphold peace and order during polling activities.
“This comprises a strategic deployment of various law enforcement agencies, including 73,414 ranks of Civil Police, 500 sections of TS Special Police, 164 Companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), 3 companies of Tamil Nadu SAP, 2,088 ranks from other departments and 7,000 Home Guards sourced from other states,” said the official.
The DGP said that during this period, the Telangana State Police has registered a total of 8,863 FIRs for offences under the Excise Act, Narcotics Act, Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Representation of the People Act (RP Act). “Furthermore, to ensure peace, 34,526 individuals identified as rowdies, election offenders, or potential troublemakers, have been bound over to ensure their compliance with legal norms. In anticipation of any emergencies during the polling period, the Telangana State Police has instituted a centralised control room at the DGP office, slated to commence operations from 7 a.m. on May 12,” he explained.
The control room will function continuously until the final Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is securely lodged in the strong room. Additionally, an intricate communication network has been established to facilitate seamless coordination among polling personnel.
The Rachakonda police also issued a release, stating that they have 3,396 polling stations in the Commissionerate and 1,590 polling locations, and have set up three strong rooms and counting centres.
There are five Parliament constituencies and 13 Assembly segments that either fully or partially fall under the Rachakonda Commissionerate, said police chief Tarun Joshi. “Among the total, 533 polling stations and 188 polling locations were identified as critical stations. With about 35,27,441 voters in the Commissionerate, 114 flag marches were conducted in various places to build confidence among them for fair and free voting. As of now, 14 cases have been booked relating to the Model Code of Conduct violations,” said the official.
