10.13 Lakh Litres of Liquor Worth ₹23.80 Crore Seized By EC in Guj

Rs 1.70 crore cash and gold and jewellery worth over Rs 8 crores have also been seized by the EC till now in Gujarat

About 10.13 lakh litres of liquor, Rs 1.70 crore cash, and gold and jewellery worth over Rs 8 crores have been seized by the Election Commission (EC) till now in Gujarat, where Assembly polls are being held.

The EC-appointed surveillance and expenditure monitoring teams have so far confiscated liquor valued at Rs 23.80 crore from the dry state.

The teams have also seized suspected illicit cash totalling Rs 1.70 crore (Rs 1.5 crore in Indian currency and the rest in foreign currency), 27.02 kg of gold and other precious metals valued at Rs 8.13 crore, and 35 kg of narcotics worth Rs 3.5 lakh, according to official data.

The EC has appointed about 100 election expenditure observers in Gujarat, apart from other central observers, to keep a check on black money and illegal inducements used to bribe voters.

Some bullion, jewellery and cash were also released by the EC teams post verification as they were meant for genuine purposes, an official of the poll panel said.

The first phase of polling was held on 9 December in Gujarat, while the second and final phase is scheduled for 14 December. The counting of votes will be taken up on 18 December.