TEAM HERALD
BELGAUM: With the last day of withdrawal of nominations for the parliamentary elections 2014 having ended on Saturday, police authorities along with vigilance staff in the district have seized Goa-made liquor, accessories and cash worth lakhs of rupees.
Deputy Commissioner of Belgaum N Jayaram, who is also the chief election officer for Belgaum district, convened a meeting of the candidates and warned of stringent action against any irregularities during the campaigning period.
Illicit Goa liquor plays a vital role in Belgaum district, which has two parliamentary seats. After the withdrawal of five candidates, including that of a Sri Ram Sene activist, 27 candidates are in fray, 15 candidates remain in fray for Belgaum seat, while 12 candidates will be in the fray for Chikkodi , the second constituency in the district.
Speaking at a news conference here, Jayaram stated that till March 28, officials have seized Goa made liquor and vehicles worth Rs 62.14 lakh and Rs 32.16 lakh in cash from various parts of the district.
“There have been 124 cases of violation of code of conduct and 74 cases against transportation of illicit liquor and cash registered in the district so far,” Jayram said.
Officials, who have made elaborate arrangements, are on a strict vigil against the entry of Goa liquor in Belgaum district and are closely monitoring the illicit liquor transportation to the district via various entry points.
Meanwhile, campaigning is expected to gain momentum from Sunday after the last day of withdrawal of nominations ended on Saturday. Both BJP MP’s Suresh Angadi (Belgaum) and Ramesh Katti (Chikkodi) will have a tough fight from the Congress that has fielded heavyweights like Laxmi Hebbalkar and Prakash Hukkeri from Belgaum and Chikkodi respectively.
BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will be in Belgaum on Sunday at 4 pm to campaign for the party candidates.
in the region.
