Maharashtra polls: Over 6,000 teams on ground, Rs 500 crore worth of cash, liquor and other items seized in state so far, says EC

Election Commission. File Pic

During the ongoing Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for Maharashtra Assembly election 2024, over 6,000 teams on ground has so far seized Rs 500 crore worth of cash, liquor and other items, the Election Commission (EC) said on Tuesday.

It said that strict measures have been put in place to prevent political parties or candidates from bribing voters as part of it the teams on ground has been conducting checks in state.

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According to the Model Code of Conduct, no political party or candidate is allowed to offer any kind of inducement to voters. To ensure this, both central and state government agencies have set up special teams for enforcement, including Static Surveillance Teams (SST) and Flying Squads (FST), at every Assembly constituency.

"In Maharashtra, a total of 6,000 such teams have been deployed to monitor the situation, along with 19 enforcement agencies. These teams are responsible for checking every vehicle passing through their designated areas. If they find anything suspicious, they are instructed to take further action," the EC said in a statement.

Political party leaders and star campaigners of various parties often travel by air during election time. Even their helicopters and airplanes are thoroughly inspected. The same rules apply to all vehicles, without any exceptions for political parties or other groups. The Static Surveillance Teams are assigned to inspect every vehicle passing through their designated routes. Each team includes a police constable, as well as revenue and other department officials, it said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday alleged that the poll authorities frisked the bags of party chief Uddhav Thackeray for the second consecutive day.

Aaditya retweeted a video in which poll officials are frisking the bags inside his chopper at Latur.

In his post, Aaditya has called the Election Commission (EC) the 'Entirely Compromised Commission' and claimed that the poll authorities are trying to delay his father from reaching his public meetings. He also questioned why the Prime Minister or other ministers are not frisked in Maharashtra.

The Election Commission, in its statement further said that while conducting these checks, the teams make sure that citizens are not inconvenienced, and if any suspicious items such as money, alcohol, precious metals, or other valuables are found, they are seized. Appropriate legal action is then taken.

It said that the primary goal is to ensure that the elections are conducted fairly, without any kind of voter bribery. So far, during this election period, more than Rs 500 crore worth of goods have been seized by the teams and surveillance units in Maharashtra.

The EC said that it has significantly reduced the chances of voters being influenced through bribes.