Bengaluru: The Income Tax (IT) department is going all out in its efforts to curb illegal poll funding and has directed the state government to provide details of all transactions with private contractors between January 1 and March 31 of 2018.

As per the letter sent to state chief secretary K Ratna Prabha by director-general of income-tax (Investigations — Karnataka and Goa) B R Balakrishnan, she has asked the heads of all departments to provide the required information. The deadline for the departments to furnish the details has been set as April 10.

“It is requested that details of all payments (above Rs 25 lakh) released to contractors from January 1 to March 3, 2018 by the departments of animal husbandry and fisheries, revenue, energy, public works and water resources be furnished to this office immediately,” read the letter from the director general of income tax.

Apart from the payment details, the IT department has also asked for details of tax deducted at source for these payments.

The move by the IT department comes after they received information that suggested that there were “big payments” made in the last quarter of the financial year 2017-18.

There are those that believe that details about the letter were leaked for political agendas as the Congress party alleges that central agencies are being used to target other party leaders as the polls draw nearer.