NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has intensified its crackdown on electoral malpractices, seizing illicit inducements worth Rs 408.82 crore across poll-bound States.
The enforcement drive also spans across six more states, where by-elections are being held.
According to official data, the seizures include Rs 17.44 crore in cash, liquor valued at Rs 37.68 crore, amounting to nearly 16.3 lakh litres and narcotics worth Rs 167.38 crore.
Additionally, precious metals valued at Rs 23 crore and other freebies exceeding Rs 163.30 crore have been confiscated.
The Commission attributed the successes of the operation to a coordinated effort involving multiple enforcement agencies across States and Union Territories.
The actions were carried out following the activation of the Electronic Seizure Management System (ESMS) on February 26, with data recorded up to March 25.
While stepping up enforcement, the ECI has directed authorities to ensure that law-abiding citizens are not harassed during inspections and checks.
To address public concerns, District Grievance Committees have been constituted to handle complaints related to enforcement activities.
The Commission has also encouraged citizens and political parties to report violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) through the C-Vigil module available on ECINET.
Between March 15 and March 25, a total of 70,944 complaints were filed through the C-Vigil app in election-bound regions.
Of these, 70,831 complaints have already been resolved, with 67,899 cases at approximately 95.8 per cent having been disposed of within 100 minutes.
In addition to the digital complaint mechanism, a dedicated helpline (1950) has been established, enabling the public and political stakeholders to lodge grievances directly with District Election Officers (DEOs) and Returning Officers (ROs).
Earlier, on March 24, the Commission convened a high-level review meeting with Chief Secretaries, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), Directors General of Police (DGPs), and senior officials from poll-bound States and their neighbouring regions.
The meeting focused on preparedness, inter-agency coordination, and ensuring free, fair, and inducement-free elections.
To strengthen ground-level vigilance, more than 5,173 Flying Squads and over 5,200 Static Surveillance Teams have been deployed across sensitive areas, conducting surprise checks and ensuring swift action on reported violations.
