Cash and Gifts Worth ₹42.65 Crore Seized in Tamil Nadu: Chief Electoral Officer

Tamil Nadu: So far, election flying squads in Tamil Nadu have seized unaccounted cash and goods worth ₹42.65 crore.

In this regard, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Electoral Officer, Archana Patnaik, issued a press release on Wednesday: As part of the election expenditure monitoring and enforcement activities ahead of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, officials from various departments are conducting raids at different locations. As of last Wednesday (March 18), cash amounting to ₹2.37 crore, freebies worth ₹20.80 crore, and metals valued at ₹16.42 crore have been seized.

In addition to these items, officials have also seized narcotics worth ₹2.88 crore and liquor valued at ₹18 lakh. The total value of all these seized items amounts to ₹42.65 crore.

Archana Patnaik stated that the surveillance and coordination mechanisms have been further strengthened to curb the flow of illicit funds, the distribution of free gifts, and other prohibited items in Tamil Nadu. Training for 4 Lakh Employees: Meanwhile, it has been reported that proper training is being provided to 4 lakh employees engaged in Assembly election duties across Tamil Nadu. In this connection, the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu issued a press release:

The first phase of state-level training was conducted for all election officials, including District Election Officers, Returning Officers, Assistant Returning Officers, Zonal Officers, Expenditure Monitoring Committees, Presiding Officers, and Polling Officers.

In the subsequent phase, training is being imparted to 4 lakh employees, comprising 6,803 Zonal Officers, 75,032 Presiding Officers, and 2,25,096 Polling Officers. She added that the objective of this training program is to ensure that election officials at all levels receive adequate training and are prepared to conduct the elections in a free, fair, and efficient manner.