Rs 18 crore cash seized in poll-bound Maharashtra and Haryana

As campaigning in Haryana and Maharashtra concluded today, Election Commission appointed flying squads seized over Rs 18 crore cash and more than 4.5 lakh litres of illicit liquor, which were apparently intended to lure voters in the poll bound states.

According to final compiled data for Maharashtra, a total of Rs 15.29 cash was seized while 2.84 lakh litres of illicit liquor worth Rs 82.85 lakh was seized by EC-appointed surveillance teams in the western Indian state.

The data said these figures for Haryana stood at Rs 2.85 crore cash while over 130 kgs of gold and silver ware have been seized since the poll dates were announced.

"Over Rs 18 crore cash has been seized till campaigning ended today in these two states. All the surveillance teams ensured that the use of money power and other inducements is curbed to the maximum," a senior officer said.

In Haryana, 28,800 cans of beer, 1,155 kgs of ammonium nitrate used for making crude explosives and 6,320 kgs of various types of drugs have been sized, the data said.

In its effort to curb the use of black money and illegal funds in the elections, the EC has deployed officers drawn from central revenue services like the Income Tax and Customs and Excise departments and those from the state government in all the Assembly seats of the two states where polling will be held on October 15.

The counting of votes is scheduled for October 19.