Election Commission seizes maximum cash, 80% of the Rs 74.27 crore, in Tamil Nadu

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu accounted for over 80% of the Rs 74.27 crore cash the Election Commission seized from four states during the just-concluded assembly polls.

Even though EC refused to divulge party-wise break-up of the Rs 60.10 crore seized from Tamil Nadu, it acknowledged that the seizures could be the tip of the iceberg as far as election spending by the major political parties in the state was concerned.

EC, with the co-operation of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, seized Rs 8.35 crore from West Bengal, Rs 5.20 crore from Assam and Rs 62 lakh from Kerala. There was no cash seizure from the Union Territory of Puducherry, which too went to the polls.

The assembly poll in five states saw an across-the-board increase in voter turnout, with West Bengal and Tamil Nadu recording the highest polling percentage in electoral history. Puducherry reported the highest turnout at 85.57%, and West Bengal saw an over 3% increase in polling percentage at 84.46%. Kerala saw the turnout improve from 72.38% to 75.12% and Assam from 75.77% to 76.04%.

This was the first election where overseas Indians could vote if they were registered and turned up at polling booths. Of 8,820 registered overseas voters from Kerala, 4,369 voted. One of these voters also contested the election from Thodupuzha of Idukki district.

In Kerala and Puducherry, EC for the first time held voting exclusively on the EPIC or the voter slip issued by it for those without voter I-cards. According to CEC SY Quraishi, this could be done as there was 100% EPIC coverage in these two states.

The "completely peaceful, incident-free elections," were made possible by nearly 7.4 lakh polling personnel and 6.36 lakh security personnel.

According to Quraishi, inducement of voters through distribution of money in cash and kind, paid news, voter apathy among youth and urban educated and security arrangement in Naxal-hit areas were major challenges encountered in these elections.

The EC expressed satisfaction that there were no appeals on communal or caste lines, provocative speeches or serious hate speeches this time.