EC Orders ‘Zero-Tolerance’ in Bihar Polls: High-Level Meet Focuses on Curbing Cash, Drug, and Liquor Inducements
CEC Gyanesh Kumar Rallies Enforcement Agencies to Ensure Inducement-Free Bihar Assembly Elections
New Delhi, India – The Election Commission of India (EC) today held a crucial meeting with the Heads of various Enforcement Agencies at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi, charting a comprehensive strategy to combat the movement of illicit cash, drugs, liquor, and other inducements during the ensuing Bihar Assembly Elections.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, sensitised the law enforcement heads about the critical need for pro-active and preventive action to ensure an inducement-free electoral process.
In a statement following the meeting, the Commission highlighted that the agencies provided detailed briefings on their preparations, steps taken, and proposed measures to curb the use of money and other inducements that can vitiate the elections.
The Poll Body underscored two key directives for effective action: Intelligence Sharing: There must be seamless co-operation and sharing of intelligence regarding economic offences among all participating law enforcement agencies. Intra-Agency Coordination: The Commission stressed the importance of robust internal coordination within each enforcement agency at the National, State, and District levels.
To choke the flow of illegal goods, the concerned agencies were specifically directed to map the constituencies and focus vigilance efforts on: Inter-state borders. International borders (Bihar shares one with Nepal). Checking the transportation of smuggled goods, drugs, liquor, and cash, including fake currency.
The meeting concluded with a clear mandate from the Commission to all Enforcement Agencies: implement a policy of ‘zero-tolerance’ to safeguard the purity of the electoral process for a free and fair election in Bihar.