Telangana polls: 2.5 lakh staff to be engaged; seizures stand at ₹709 crore: CEO

The EC (Election Commission) will also deploy 3,000 personnel from other uniformed services in Telangana, 50 companies of Telangana State Special Police and 375 companies of Central forces will be manning the security arrangement, Raj said.

The official further said as many as 26,660 voters exercised their franchise through the “Home Voting” facility.

On 23 November, he said all the vehicles carrying Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to their respective destinations would be fitted with GPS so that the movement of every vehicle was tracked by officials.

Also read: Is I-PAC helping BRS in Telangana Assembly polls?

Seizures till date

The seizures in poll-bound Telangana have reached ₹709 crore, ever since the model code of conduct came into force in the state on 9 October, the official said.

Law enforcement agencies have seized cash, gold, liquor, and freebies, among others.

On 25 October, the Hyderabad police said that their Commissioner’s Task Force Central Zone Team arrested two individuals and seized ₹10 lakh in an operation aimed at cracking down on a hawala money-transfer racket.

The cops arrested two Congress workers on 9 October for allegedly trying to woo voters by distributing pressure cookers at Gopanpalli Thanda. They were distributing pressure cookers allegedly on behalf of Serilingampally constituency Congress leader Raghunath Yadav.

On 10 October, the Commissioner’s Task Force (North Zone) and the Banjara Hills police in Hyderabad seized unaccounted-for money worth ₹3.35 crore during a vehicle-checking operation in Banjara Hills.

During an inspection at the TV9 Signal Junction on Road No 3 in Banjara Hills, the passengers of a vehicle were found behaving suspiciously, leading to a thorough search. Subsequently, the unaccounted-for money was found concealed in the vehicle.

Further investigation revealed that Chimpireddy Hanumantha Reddy, an employee of a private firm, and the other individuals in the vehicle were involved in the collection and distribution of hawala money across the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

The Congress had earlier lodged a complaint against the police to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar regarding poll-related checks. The party claimed that these checks were inconveniencing the general public.

Also read: I-T Dept forms QRTs in all 33 districts

QRTs set up

The Income Tax (I-T) Department had formed Quick Response Teams (QRTs) in all 33 districts in Telangana and deployed 150 officers for election duty.

It said a round-the-clock control room and Complaint Monitoring Cell had been set up to receive information or complaints from the general public regarding cash and other items intended for illegitimate use in the election process.

The Complaint Monitoring Cell can be contacted at:

• Toll-free number — 1800-425-1785,

• Landline 040-23426201, 23426202,

• WhatsApp, Telegram – 7013711399,

• e-mail: cleantelanganaelections@incometax.gov.in

Furthermore, Air Intelligence Units (AIU) had been set up at Begumpet Airport and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport for 24×7 surveillance in coordination with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The AIUs at all other airports in India that have connectivity to Hyderabad have also been informed to be on alert and monitor passengers travelling to the Telangana capital.

The Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) app is being used for the first time by the ECI in this election for verification of seizure reports.

Polling for the 119-member Assembly would be held on 30 November, while counting of votes would be taken up on 3 December.

(With PTI inputs)