Hyderabad, April 12: The candidates contesting the elections are both happy and sad over the state election authorities strictly enforcing the model code of conduct and digging out black money.
The election expenditure, the candidates unanimously agree, has come down by at least 25 per cent because of the restrictions on the campaign material like banners, cut-outs, flexi-boards, posters and pamphlets.
At the same time, the candidates are choked as their money supply has been blocked. Though this will reduce their expenditure, the candidates are increasingly under pressure from second rung leaders to find alternative ways to meet their expenses.
The state police has been cracking down on all possible ways of carrying cash and has seized Rs 23.61 crore so far.
“This money is totally unaccounted for and we are sure that it is for electioneering,” Dr I.V. Subba Rao, the Chief Electoral Officer, told this newspaper.
On Sunday alone the police seized Rs 97.72 lakhs including Rs 5.5 lakhs from a vehicle belonging to the Congress candidate from Darsi Assembly seat in Prakasam district.
“Two burkha-clad women were sitting in the vehicle which was parked away from the rally taken out by the Congress candidate. The money was kept in the dicky and the owners stitched a layer of leather to give an impression that there was nothing underneath and put a spare tyre above,” Dr Rao said highlighting the efforts to conceal black money.
The state election authorities have so far booked 447 cases against parties for display of banners, hoardings and defacing walls.
The authorities even seized the Praja Rajyam office in Rajahmundry when the latter failed to pay the penalty of Rs 3 lakh raised for code violation vis-à-vis poll.
The candidates are unable to explain to their cadre the difficulty of moving cash. “Despite incidents of cash seizures the leaders are in no mood to listen to us. They say it is our headache,” lamented a LS candidate from Nalgonda.
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