This election seems to be a tippler's delight - Times of India

NEW DELHI: Elections seem to be proving a tippler's delight, if the figures of liquor seizures made by Election Commission-appointed teams are anything to go by. A whopping 132 crore litres of liquor have been confiscated from across the country till date, which translates to nearly 1.6 litre seized for every voter in the country's 81.4-crore electorate.

As for cash seizures, they totalled Rs 269 crore as per EC data prepared till Tuesday. The lion's share of these cash seizures has come from Andhra Pradesh (Rs 129 crore), followed by Maharashtra (Rs 33.46 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs 19.87 crore), Karnataka (Rs 12.29 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 12 crore) and Punjab (Rs 5 crore).

More than 12,000 FIRs have been registered against distribution of cash and illegal inducements in various states.

It's not only drinks that are in full flow in the poll-bound states. Deadly drugs are also being held out as a "potent" bait, with heroin seizures from across the country totalling 104 kg so far. The EC teams in Punjab, according to Commission sources, have reported some big drug seizures.

An EC official said the seized quantities may only reflect a part of the amounts of cash, liquor and drugs in circulation during the current poll. "Moreover, with five more phases of polling yet to be held, the quantum of seizures during these elections could well see a two to three-fold rise over the current figures," the official told TOI.