AP Govt Installs 45 Checkposts To Curb Illegal Flow Of Liquor And Cash In Poll-Bound Karnataka

Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy said the checkposts would be manned by officials from police, excise, commercial taxes, revenue, and other departments.

The Andhra Pradesh government has set up 45 integrated checkposts in the districts bordering Karnataka to prevent the flow of illegal liquor, cash, and other inducements to the poll-bound state, Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy said on Monday. The checkposts will be manned by officials from police, excise, commercial taxes, revenue, and other departments.

In a video conference organised by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Chief Secretary said that 3,008 litres of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), 444 tetra packs of 90-ml liquor cartons, and two and a half kg of marijuana have already been confiscated. Senior Andhra Pradesh government officials attended an ECI video conference meeting on Monday to restrict the movement of liquor, cash, and other inducements to influence voters during Karnataka's single-phase elections on May 10. Officials from Telangana, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu also attended the meeting.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, along with other Election Commissioners, held a video conference with the Chief Secretaries, DGPs, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), and other senior officials, where the CEC directed the border states to restrict the flow of inducements by setting up checkposts and also restricting the entry of anti-social elements. From Andhra Pradesh, apart from Chief Secretary Jawahar Reddy, Director General of Police K V Rajendranath Reddy, Special Chief Secretary Rajath Bhargava, and other senior officials participated.

The 224-member Karnataka Assembly will undergo polls on May 10, and the votes will be counted on May 13. A total of 3,632 candidates are in the fray, with 707 from the incumbent BJP and 651 from the Congress, while 1,720 will contest as independents.

According to the ABP-CVoter Opinion Poll, Congress is ahead in the race to form the next government in Karnataka with a projected seat range between 107 and 119, while the BJP is expected to get seats somewhere between 74 and 86 and the JDS between 23 and 35 seats. Congress is expected to bag the most vote percentage at around 40 per cent, with the BJP following at 40 per cent and JD(S) at 17 per cent, and others at 8 per cent.