Bengaluru: More than half of the handouts and freebies that have been seized in the city to date, after the model code of conduct came into effect, are from the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, according to top election officer.
“Cash and various commodities amounting to Rs. 24.95 lakh have been seized from seven of the 28 Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru. Of this, various commodities — sewing machines, metal stands, buckets, shawls, hats and wooden tables — worth Rs. 12.49 lakh were confiscated from the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency. The Anekal Assembly constituency comes second with officials reporting a haul of Rs. 7 lakh in cash,’’ said District Election Officer N. Manjunath Prasad.
The seized goods belong to candidates of both the BJP and Congress parties. Items worth Rs. 5.74 lakh were seized from a Congress candidate on April 1 while freebies worth Rs. 6.74 lakh were seized from a BJP candidate.
Prasad said that the seizures were the result of tip-offs by citizens as well as information received by their officials.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has developed an app where citizens can send complaints of violation of the model code of conduct to the DEO. The app allows citizens to upload images, videos and audio clips, as well as submit a written description. The identity of the complainants will be kept confidential. Once a complaint is registered, the details will be sent to the returning official concerned as well as the DEO.
