Election Commission seizes more than Rs 12,000 crore since January 2024

New Delhi – The Central Election Commission (CEC) seized Rs 7,502 crore in January and February 2024 i.e. before the election dates were declared. Later, from 1st March 2024 to 13th April 2024, Rs 4,658.13 crore were seized from different parts of the country; including gold-silver, liquor, narcotics, and valuable items. Thus, more than Rs 12,000 crore have been confiscated so far, which comes to about Rs 100 crore per day. It is the biggest action in the history of elections of 75 years. In the 2019 Parliamentary elections, CEC confiscated Rs 3,475 crore. There is still one and a half months left for the upcoming elections.

🎯Election Commission seizes more than Rs 4650 crore nationwide since March

👉 If the seized money amounts to this much, one can only imagine how much remains unseized? This clearly illustrates how elections are conducted in India. It is unsurprising that candidates and… pic.twitter.com/9AEnYVRbh7

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) April 16, 2024

Among the confiscated things since 1st March 2024, there are medicines worth Rs 2,068.85 crore, Rs 1,142.49 crore of material which can be freely distributed, Rs 562.10 crore of precious metal, Rs 489.31 crore of liquor and Rs 395.39 crore of cash.

Rs 53 crore was the largest amount in cash, confiscated in Tamil Nadu, Rs 49 crore in Telangana, Rs 40 crore in Maharashtra and Rs 35 crore each were confiscated in Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Rs 124.03 crore worth of liquor was the highest seizure from Karnataka, while liquor worth Rs 51.07 crore from Bengal, Rs 40.07 crore from Rajasthan, Rs 35.03 crore from Uttar Pradesh and Rs 31.05 crore was confiscated from Bihar.

In Gujarat, narcotics worth Rs 485.99 crore were confiscated which was the highest; followed by narcotics worth Rs 293.02 crore in Tamil Nadu, Rs 280.81 crore in Punjab, Rs 213.56 crore in Maharashtra and Rs 189.94 crore in Delhi.

What are the rules under the Code of Conduct during elections ?

Cash up to Rs 10 lakh and gold up to one kg are allowed to be carried to the airport. Suppose a person is carrying more cash or gold than the permitted amount/quantity. In that case, it can be confiscated till investigations are conducted to find out the identity of such persons, whether they are contesting elections or belonging to any political party.

Cash, beyond Rs 10 lakh, can be confiscated from a vehicle. The amount can be released if it can be proved that the amount didn’t belong to any political party or candidate.

Liquor, valued more than Rs 10,000 or narcotics, weapons or freebies are found in a vehicle owned by a candidate of a political party or a party worker, they can be confiscated.

Editorial Perspective

If this is the amount confiscated, then it is unimaginable how much would be the money has not yet been confiscated ? It shows how the elections are contested in India. It is not surprising that the elected candidates and political parties indulge in corrupt practices to get back the money spent in contesting elections and accumulate it for contesting the next elections.