Guwahati,  On the directions of the Election Commission, authorities have seized cash amount of Rs 8.80 crore and drugs, gold and silver ornaments valued at Rs 23.01 crore in a bid to ensure a free, fair and safe Assembly polls in Assam.

Assam Chief Electoral officer Nitin Khade on Friday said that the Assam Police, state excise department, Income Tax department, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Narcotics Control Bureau, flying squads, static surveillance teams and other regulatory agencies have been working round-the-clock to detect any suspicious movement of cash, liquor, valuables, narcotics across the state since the Election Commission has announced the dates of the polls.

He said that besides the cash amount of Rs 8.80 crore, liquor worth of Rs 7.68 crore, gold, silver ornaments valued at Rs 1.46 crore, heroin, marijuana and brown sugar worth of around Rs 10.18 crore, cigarettes of foreign origin, poppy seeds, contraband tablets valued at Rs 3.69 crore have been seized.

Elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly will be held in three phases. Phase one will see polling for 47 constituencies on March 27 while in the second phase polling would be held for 39 seats on April 1 and the remaining 40 constituencies will go to the polls on April 6.

The results will be declared on May 2.