Election Commission Tightens Vigil on Money Power and Freebies Ahead of Bihar Polls

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued strict directives to curb the use of money power, liquor, drugs, and freebies during the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections. The commission has ordered all enforcement agencies to ensure that the electoral process remains free, fair, and transparent.

The ECI had earlier, on October 6, announced the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections and by-elections for eight assembly seats. To ensure transparency, the commission has introduced special monitoring mechanisms to track election expenditure and prevent illegal activities.

A wide network of enforcement agencies has been roped in, including the state police, Excise Department, Income Tax Department, FIU-IND, RBI, SLBC, DRI, CGST, SGST, Customs, Enforcement Directorate, Narcotics Control Bureau, Railway Protection Force, CISF, SSB, BCAS, Airports Authority of India, Postal Department, Forest Department, and State Cooperative Department.

These agencies have been tasked with ensuring that voters are not influenced through money, liquor, drugs, or any kind of inducements.

To strengthen the oversight mechanism, the ECI has already deployed Expenditure Observers in each constituency. These officers have started coordinating with local teams responsible for expenditure monitoring.

Additionally, flying squads, surveillance teams, and video monitoring units have been ordered to operate round-the-clock to detect and respond immediately to any suspicious activity or attempt to bribe voters.

The commission has also activated the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) — an online platform that enables real-time reporting of all seizures and enforcement actions taken by different agencies.

Since the announcement of the election on October 6, enforcement teams have seized cash, liquor, drugs, and freebies worth ₹33.97 crore across Bihar.

The ECI has emphasized that during inspections or raids, ordinary citizens must not face harassment or inconvenience.

The commission has also appealed to the public to report any instances of cash or liquor distribution or illegal inducements through the C-Vigil mobile app for immediate action.