BENGALURU: The November 2016 demonetisation in India appears to have provided ‘training’ for netas in Karnataka to use various loopholes to avail cash by beating the Election Commission curbs for the forthcoming May 12 assembly polls. In doing so, one of the commonly used tricks is emptying the ATMs of its cash — which is why so many ATMs across the state are displaying the “no cash” boards.
Bank officials and traders in the know of the crooked processes resorted to by the netas to avail liquid cash for influencing voters, explained how this happens. They say political leaders, ticket aspirants and their activated networks — across all political parties — are crediting money into accounts of known people in instalments. These people are paid hefty amounts in commission. The total amounts credited come to a huge pile, which is later withdrawn in instalments — without raising suspicions.
This is because the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)-Karnataka, had issued directions to banks to provide them with details of those drawing cash of over Rs 1 lakh every day till the completion of assembly polls. The banks finding such transactions have to send alerts to the district electoral office before 4.30 pm on that day. The details should include the type of account, account number, name of the account holder and the amount withdrawn. Accordingly, heads of all the banks have instructed their branch heads.
To avoid being detected, netas and their henchmen are resorting to drawing amounts lesser than Rs 1 lakh daily from different ATMs and from different accounts of cooperating individuals. So, the frequency of withdrawals from various ATMs is higher — which is causing the machines to run out of cash.This withdrawn money is planned to be used — and in many cases, already used — to influence voters with costly gifts or cash ahead of the state’s first polls in the post-DeMo era.
Among the many tricks that netas are employing to get cash includes withdrawing fixed deposits (FD) of people interested in making a quick buck — through commissions — in connivance with the bank staff. Attracting such depositors with hefty commissions depending upon their deal, the people identified with political leaders are helping them withdraw FDs, said a source in a nationalised bank.
Another trick, they say, involves paying huge amounts of black money to NGOs or trusts, passing those payments off as “donations”. They take back anywhere between 50 and 70 per cent of the total donation, showing that on records as expenditure incurred by the NGO, said a source in an NGO which a neta’s middlemen had tried to lure.
These methods have helped netas avail cash. That is why, it is common to see political parties distributing cash and gifts among people made to attend political conventions to influence them to vote for their candidates in the coming polls. A political party had paid Rs 300 per head for attending its convention in Channapatna held recently. A person who came alone on a two-wheeler, got Rs 300 while those coming with a pillion rider got Rs 500.Similarly, Rs 200 was paid to each woman who came in tempos/buses hired to fetch voters to the venues of political convention, said a voter in Channapatna.
ECI IS ALL GEARED UP
A source in the Election Commission of India said it was not responsible for the alleged illegal money transactions before the code of conduct was declared. But after ECI announced the calendar of events, it has issued communication to all banks to give daily details on those drawing money of Rs 1 lakh and above. As far as nationalised and commercial banks are concerned, both ECI and I-T department are strictly monitoring the situation and the District Registrar of Co-operative Societies is keeping an eye on the cooperative banks. “Naturally, the fixed deposit, which normally is above Rs 1 lakh, and if any NGO or Trusts or an individual draws lump some money, it would come under our surveillance,” an EC official said. “We have registered 15 FIRs for distribution of money and on the charges of illegal gratification and have seized Rs 1.4 crore.”