Parties opt for online cash transfers to evade EC and police action

Hyderabad: Major political parties are relying on online transfer of cash to lure voters in the bypoll-bound Munugode constituency, while avoiding detection by the Election Commission police. Despite complaints of indiscriminate distribution of money in Munugode constituency ahead of the November 3, there have been no major cash seizures.

The EC has set up 19 checkposts to check cash flow into Munugode, but these have turned redundant due to the online cash transfers. The EC and police officials are inspecting even vehicles of ministers, TRS MLAs, MLCs and party leaders every day as also those of Congress and BJP leaders but have drawn a blank.

So far, the police has seized just Rs 12.5 lakh, but this was not poll-related cash. They money was from the sale of a flat being carried by a Hyderabad resident heading home for Dasara. The police has asked him for proof.

While this is so, parties are spending money like water in Munugode, arranging parties with liquor and food at all function calls to lure voters.

The EC has now issued instructions to banks to alert officials of the poll panel and income-tax about transactions exceeding Rs 10 lakh from any account of their customers.

All the major political parties have established a vast network of mobile phone numbers to transfer money online. The money is transferred through dozens of different phone numbers belonging to the followers of district, mandal, constituency and village incharges. From there, the money is sent to the voters.
Since payments for arranging parties are also being made online, there was no need for party leaders or workers to carry cash.