PATNA: Bihar Police and Income Tax officials have teamed up to check the clandestine flow of cash into Bihar this poll season. The I-T department has asked bank officials to report large and repeat transactions of big amounts.
“Our attempt is to ensure that money and muscle power do not influence polls,” HR Shrinivas, Chief Election Officer (CEO) said.
The IT and police departments had seized close to Rs 6 crore during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, which were being illegally transported, while in 2015 Assembly elections Rs 14 crore had been seized.
For the Lok Sabha elections, the EC has put in place three flying squads each in all 40 constituencies, along with a videographer.
Shrinivas said surveillance has been increased in constituencies falling along the Indo-Nepal border—such as the twin Champarans, Bagaha, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Madhepura, Saharsa, Purnia, Kishanganj, Madhubani — and the Nepal Police will seal the borders according to poll schedule.
Law enforcement agencies have seized Rs 9 lakh unaccounted money so far.
The Election Commission has fixed an expenditure limit of Rs 70 lakh per constituency in states such as Bihar, UP and others and Rs 54 lakh per constituency for smaller states. The main focus will be on liquor consignments, which have regularly surfaced despite a complete prohibition in Bihar since April 2016. From the time the polls were announced till Sunday, the police have seized 12,338 litres of liquor.
According to Additional State Election Officer Sanjay Kumar, 1,574 arms licences have been cancelled during verification in Bihar and 578 deposited in the district armouries.
Meanwhile, three persons, including a businessman and a ward councillor, were shot dead by bike-borne gunmen in Champaran and Bhojpur districts on Monday.
Siyaram Prasad Kushwaha, a ward councillor of Kadamwa panchayat, and Shambhu Rai, who was riding pillion with Kushwaha, were killed when after they came out of an office of the Ghorasahan block.
Gujarat Congress complains to EC over poll-related meet at CM’s house
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Congress on Monday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, accusing the BJP of violating the Model Code of Conduct by holding a meeting of the party’s state parliamentary board at Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s official residence.
The poll panel has ordered a probe, though the ruling party rejected the charge.
On receiving the complaint, sent by the Congress through fax, Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer S Murali Krishna ordered an inquiry.
“We have received the complaint. We will conduct an inquiry into the issue,” Krishna said.
In its complaint, the Congress alleged the CM’s official residence in Gandhinagar is government property and no political activity is permitted from government premises when the Model Code is in force. However, state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani defended the decision to hold the meet at the CM’s residence and said no rules had been violated.
“We have to also take care of the CM’s security. Arranging such meetings at CM’s residence is an old tradition. Party leaders are only doing brainstorming here, we have not arranged any political rally or engaged in any poll campaigning,” he said.
Polling for all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in a single phase on April 23. The Model Code came into force with the announcement of the poll schedule on March 10.