BENGALURU, 20 MARCH

Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI)  has seized more than Rs 27 crore worth of freebies, drugs, cash, and liquor in the State. A press release by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) highlighted various actions that have been taken to curb electoral malpractices. This includes cash seizures of Rs 2,93,50,000 in the Bijapur Parliamentary constituency and Rs 50,00,000 in the Ballari district.

A total of 205 FIRs have been registered by Flying Squads, SSTs, and police authorities for various violations. Additionally, 47,868 arms have been deposited, 827 arms impounded, and eight arms licenses are cancelled. Preventive action has been taken against 2,725 individuals.

The Excise Department has booked 249 heinous cases, 206 cases for breach of license conditions, and 13 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further, 822 cases have been registered under the Karnataka Excise Act, and 156 vehicles have been seized.

A total of 1,740 calls were received through Voter Helpline, with 1,737 seeking information. Additionally, 6,943 complaints were registered on the National Grievance Services Portal (NGSP)portal.

The mobile application cVIGIL received 1,120 complaints, primarily related to unauthorized posters/banners, property defacement, and distribution of money or gifts. Out of these, 913 complaints were found to be valid, and action has been taken accordingly.

A total of 29 complaints were received through various media channels, including emails, letters, newspapers, TV channels, and social media. All complaints have been addressed and disposed of. Under the ENCORE application, 125 applications for permissions were received, with 65 accepted, 34 rejected, and 21 pending.