New Delhi:
Continuing with the seizure of cash and liquor during elections, the Election Commission (EC) has seized Rs 272.82 crore cash and 2.12 crore litres of liquor all over the country during the ongoing elections.
The EC has also seized 1.69 lakh kg of drugs and narcotic across the country during the period.
In Punjab alone, EC seized 145 kg of heroin worth Rs 725 crore, EC Director General PK Dash told reporters in Delhi.
While Andhra Pradesh topped the list with the seizure of Rs 127.52 crore followed by Uttar Pradesh (Rs 16.88 crore) and Punjab (Rs 12.92 crore), in Gujarat and West Bengal Rs 4.28 crore and Rs 2.72 crore were respectively seized during the campaigning.
Considerable amount of liquor was seized in Gujarat, where it is prohibited.
According to EC, 11.32 lakh litres of liquor was seized in the state as against 10.37 lakh litres in Andhra Pradesh.
In Punjab, liquor seizure touched 9.28 lakh litres followed by 7.77 lakh litres in West Bengal.
As far as cases against paid news are concerned EC has served 964 notices to political parties and candidates across the country.
Of these, 426 cases have been confirmed as paid news, Director General Akshya Raut said.
Andhra Pradesh has 351 paid news cases and Rajasthan 168. There were 112 paid news cases in Punjab and 47 in Gujarat.
The EC has also registered 64,387 FIRs in connection with the seizure of cash and liquor.