Hyderabad: The total money seized ahead of the December 7 touched Rs 104 crore on Saturday. With five days left to go for the elections, it exceeds the total money confiscated in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014 by Rs 28 crore.
Rajat Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer linked this to voter apathy, saying, “Money and mafia are playing a vital role in elections as voters are not playing their role.”
Elsewhere, he warned that equipment would be seized if any ad was displayed on electronic media in favour of a candidate or a party without clearance from Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.
He appealed to voters to participate in the democratic process. “If any one offers cash, refuse it outright. From our side, we are working hard to control the role of money and mafia,” he said.
He lamented that a sizeable chunk of the educated and urban voters were not going to the booths, thereby letting democracy down. In rural areas, the voting was reaching 80 to 90 per cent.
He said the Election Commission had given a thrust to help people with disabilities (PwDs) cast their vote.
