Rs 53 crore illegal cash seized from poll-bound states

Illegal cash of over Rs 53 crore has been confiscated from the five states facing Assembly elections with Tamil Nadu leading the list following seizures of Rs 21.45 crore.

Even as the second phase of polls is scheduled for Monday in West Bengal and Assam, Election Commission (EC) said the north-eastern state is second on the list with Rs 11.66 crore having been seized there.

In Kerala, the figure stands at about Rs 9.65 crore, while Rs 9.61 crore has been seized in West Bengal.

Puducherry has seen seizures of about Rs 60.88 lakh, EC data said.

The cash seizures were made by EC-appointed special flying squads and surveillance teams and by officials drawn from the Income Tax department.

“The total progressive figure of seizures made till now is over Rs 53 crore,” a senior official said today.

The model code of conduct for these polls came into force on March 4 after EC announced the schedule for the Assembly polls in five states.