Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Electoral Officer, Mukesh Kumar Meena, announced today that assets worth a total of ₹176 crore have been confiscated by the Election Commission since January 1 in anticipation of the concurrent Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Meena specified that among the seized items, cash amounted to ₹78 crore, precious metals totaled ₹41 crore, and narcotics stood at ₹30 crore.
“Over the past three days following the announcement of the election schedule, our operations have led to the confiscation of cash, alcohol, drugs, and other inducements valued at ₹3.39 crore,” Meena stated during a press briefing at the secretariat.
Breaking down the recent seizures, he revealed that alcohol accounted for ₹1.6 crore, cash for ₹80 lakh, with the remaining comprising drugs and freebies.
Meena further elaborated on the Election Commission’s monitoring efforts, highlighting a daily assessment of liquor production and storage in collaboration with the Excise Department. This scrutiny aims to compare current trends with those of the corresponding day in the previous year to detect any irregularities potentially linked to voter influence.
“We receive daily reports from the Excise Department, and so far, there has been no deviation. Both stock and sales levels are lower compared to the same day last year,” Meena affirmed.
With the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into effect upon the announcement of the election schedule, Meena reported the removal of two lakh political posters, banners, and hoardings from public areas within the last three days. Additionally, 1.5 lakh such materials were cleared from private premises, with ongoing updates provided by district collectors’ offices.
Enforcement actions during this period included 94 cases of property defacement and 37 instances of vehicle misuse, along with violations related to loudspeaker usage, unauthorized gatherings, and inducements, totaling 385 cases.
Addressing complaints received through the CVigil app, Meena disclosed 1,307 reported violations, with 74% resolved within 100 minutes, except for 40 cases. He reiterated the ECI’s commitment to resolving 95% of all complaints within the same timeframe.
Regarding complaints about government employees’ involvement in campaigning, Meena confirmed disciplinary actions against 46 individuals, including suspensions for regular employees and dismissal for volunteers and contract workers, with criminal cases initiated as well.
Additionally, the Election Commission processed 392 applications via the Suvidha app for various campaign permissions.
When questioned about recent alleged lapses in arrangements during an NDA election campaign featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Meena refrained from comment, citing the jurisdiction of the Union Home Ministry and the Special Protection Group (SPG).
The scheduled Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections for Andhra Pradesh’s 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats are set for May 13, with results expected on June 4.
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