Ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday expressed concern over “politically motivated” crimes in Maharashtra and asked the state DGP to ensure a strict clampdown against such crimes, which vitiates the electoral atmosphere and disturbs the level playing field.
The direction was issued by Kumar at a meeting chaired by him with CS, DGP and other top officials of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and their border states to assess the law-and-order situation for the ongoing Assembly elections in both the states, sources said.
During the meeting, the CEC has issued strict instructions for stepping up the efforts to curb the inflow of inducements including cash, liquor, narcotics, precious metals and other freebies to the poll-bound states ahead of the elections, they added.
So far Rs 345 crore worth of seizures have been made from the announcement of the elections till date with over Rs 114 crore worth of seizures in Jharkhand and Rs 175 crore in Maharashtra and the remaining seizures from the states where bye elections are also held, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Seizures in Maharashtra and Jharkhand so far have already surpassed 2019 Assembly elections seizures by 2.3 times, which were a total of Rs 122.67 crore, it said.
Kumar also cautioned the administration and law enforcement authorities in Jharkhand to be even handed in their dealings with political functionaries and ensure that no authority is exercised in a mala fide manner. He underscored the importance of strict vigilance and intelligence to curb the movement of contraband items, including narcotics, liquor, arms, and explosives across inter-state borders.
He has directed for identification of exit and entry points for movement of such illicit items for strict vigil and seizures.