INDIA VOTES 2024: 2,334 held with drugs, liquor, cash worth Rs 11.79 crore in Ludhiana district

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, April 4

Adopting a zero tolerance approach against violators of the model code of conduct (MCC) enforced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ever since the announcement of the 2024 General Election on March 16, the district administration has cracked a whip against smuggling of drugs, liquor, unaccounted cash and distribution of freebies.

In what appears to be a record of sorts, enforcement agencies have arrested as many as 2,334 criminals under various sections of the law and have seized huge cache of drugs, liquor and unaccounted cash worth Rs 11.79 crore across 14 Assembly segments falling under the Ludhiana (9) and Fatehgarh Sahib (5) Lok Sabha constituencies in Ludhiana district.

Besides, the district election machinery has ensured prompt action and resolution on almost all substantial complaints and permissions sought within the stipulated time period.

Leading the sustained campaign against poll code violators, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer (DEO) Sakshi Sawhney has given clear-cut instructions to all enforcement agencies and election staff to ensure that not a single case of MCC violation goes unnoticed and scot-free while ensuring the implementation of the ECI guidelines in letter and in spirit.

Sakshi told The Tribune here on Thursday that as many as 1,069 troublemakers, 448 history-sheeters and 817 absconders have so far been arrested under various sections of the CrPC and other relevant law provisions, which was the highest count as compared to the similar action taken during the entire process during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 2022 Vidhan Sabha poll in the district.

She disclosed that 2,54,849 litres of liquor, 114.732 kg of various types of narcotic drugs and over Rs 1.6 crore unaccounted cash have been seized in less than a month. The total value of the seizures made so far has been pegged at Rs 11.79 crore.

With almost two months yet to go for the polling for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on June 1, the seizures already made this time have already crossed the unaccounted cash recovery of only Rs 64.98 lakh made in 2019 while Rs 2.53 crore cash was seized in 2022.

Divulging the status of complaints and permissions, the DC-cum-DEO revealed that as many as 870 complaints of different nature had been received through four different modes ever since the MCC enforcement on March 16, of which 838, accounting for a whopping 96.32 per cent had been resolved within the stipulated time period while 19 had been dropped after due verification and only 13 were pending, which were also being processed as per law.

On the permissions front, as many as 170 applications seeking various poll-related permissions had been received so far, of which 127, accounting for 74.71 per cent, had been granted, 14 had been cancelled, eight rejected for different reasons while the remaining 21 applications were under process. “No applications seeking permission have so far remained pending beyond the stipulated timeline while those pending are within the timeline,” Sakshi added.

Ensuring free, fair, peaceful poll: DC

“We have activated our election and enforcement agencies to ensure free, fair and peaceful General Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha in the district. All stops have been pulled to check and act tough against poll code violations, besides taking stringent action against smuggling of drugs, liquor, unaccounted cash, and distribution of freebies. No MCC violation will be tolerated at any cost and nobody found wanting will be spared,” said Sakshi Sawhney, DC-cum-DEO.

District Profile

• Assembly constituencies 14
• Parliamentary constituencies 2
• Assembly segments under Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat: Ludhiana East, Ludhiana South, Atam Nagar, Ludhiana Central, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana North, Gill, Dakha and Jagraon
• Assembly segments under Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha seat: Khanna, Samrala, Sahnewal, Payal and Raikot

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