Bihar assembly polls: ECI had issues directions to enforcement agencies to prevent use of money power
NEW DELHI: Progressive seizures of items seen as potential voter inducements in Bihar and other bypoll-bound states have touched Rs 71.3 crore in value, the Election Commission shared on Tuesday. The seized items include approximately Rs 6 crore in unexplained cash, liquor worth Rs 27 crore, drugs worth Rs 18 crore, precious metals worth Rs 5.5 crore and other freebies valued at nearly Rs 15 crore.The poll body also said it had received 650 complaints on its C-Vigil app so far. Of these, 649 have been disposed of; 612 complaints were, in fact, resolved within 100 minutes, it shared.Meanwhile, the EC has directed political parties and candidates to issue political advertisements in the print media during the ‘silence period’, only after having their content cleared by the media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC).“In order to ensure a fair campaign environment, no political party, candidate, organisation or person shall publish any advertisement in the print media on poll day and one day prior to the poll day, unless the contents are pre-certified by the MCMC at the state/district level,” the EC said on Tuesday. This is in line with its instructions on the matter, followed both during the 2015 assembly poll in Bihar and the 2019 Lok Sabha poll.For Bihar, the restricted days would be Nove 5 and 6 and Nov 10 and 11, said EC. It also said applicants may apply for MCMC certification no later than two days prior to the proposed date of publication of the advertisement.
