Figures released by the Election Commission suggest a 3-5 per cent increase in the cash, drugs and narcotics, and liquor seized during the 2017 Assembly elections in Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab and the first three phases in Uttar Pradesh, in relation to the previous election. The question is: How much has managed to duck the radar?

These figures are misleading. According to the EC, in Punjab, the value of just the drugs and narcotics (not cash) seized actually fell to ₹18.26 crore from ₹ 54 crore in 2012. This seems odd when the drug menace has become a poll plank for the Congress; besides, the issue of drugs looming large in Punjab is making news for a while.

It is also an open secret that, like what lies beneath an iceberg, almost 90 per cent of the funds used for election purposes never get detected.

The maths is mindboggling — ₹112 crore cash seized in the first four rounds in UP leaves close to ₹1,000 crore unaccounted for.

Worse, it is an accepted fact that political parties understate the amount they spend on getting elected.

Take, for instance, a politician from Maharashtra, who declared at a public meeting that he had spent several crores getting elected, although his affidavit put it down in lakhs. A former EC once revealed that an MP had openly declared to him that he had spent several hundreds of crores.

So what is the solution? One way is to sensitise people and ensure that elections do not become a family business of sorts, where ‘returns on investment’ become important!. Another option could be to break down constituencies into smaller units or limit the size of each constituency thereby restricting the need for a candidate to traverse long distances , co-opt large populations and hold several rallies to reach out to the electorate.

However, what this reform needs is political will and that has been sorely lacking so far.

Senior Deputy Editor

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