EC team seizes Rs 3.50 crore unaccounted cash in Bihar

Election Commission teams have seized unaccounted cash of Rs 3.50 crore from different parts of Bihar since the Lok Sabha election schedule was announced, a senior election official said Friday. Additional Chief Electoral officer S K Singh said authorities have so far seized Rs 3.50 crore cash including 18.12 lakh Nepali currency from different parts of the state.

He said that district officials have been asked to carry out the videography of the Ramnavami procession. "Officials concerned have been asked to carry out videography of the procession taken out on Ramnavmi puja day and if anyone is found taking political benefit of the puja, then he/she would be booked for violating the model code of conduct," Singh said, replying to a query on the arrangements during Ramnavami puja day.

Nomination papers of all the prominent candidates and that of major recognised national political parties were found valid after the scrutiny for the third phase of polling to be held on five Lok Sabha seats of Bihar on April 23, Singh said. Of the 115 nomination papers filed for the five constituencies of Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Khagaria and Madhepura in the third phase that would vote on April 23, nomination papers of 87 candidates were found valid while 28 nomination papers, mostly of independent candidates and that of unrecognised parties, were rejected, ACEO said.

BJPs Gopal jee Thakur from Darbhanga and Congress Neelam Devi from Munger Lok Sabha seat was among seven candidates who filed their papers for the fourth phase of election in the state, Singh said. Lok Sabha constituencies of Darbhanga, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai and Munger would go to polls on April 29 in the fourth phase.

(With inputs from agencies.)