Police seize liquor kept suspectedly to lure voters:Agencies grasp booze worth ₹4,500 lakh in the dry state as 1st phase of polls conclude

Bihar went to polls on Thursday, 6 November 2025. The first phase of Bihar​​​​ Legislative Assembly General Elections, 2025, have concluded. The voter turnout was over 53% by 3 pm on Thursday. The Model Code of Conduct was enforced by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Following this, intensive and extensive checking operations were conducted throughout the state by enforcement agencies. And guess what! The probe agencies have caught hold of liquor and cash worth in lakhs. According to the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, the items that authorities had seized, which would have otherwise been given as baits during the election rallies to lure voters, were cash, liquor, drug, etc. Interesting! Bihar is a dry state. The sale of alcohol is banned in the state. And, large quantities of liquor were seized under the suspicion that bottles would have otherwise been handed over to the masses in the lure of the votes! Sale of liquor swells up in Uttar Pradesh to record highs: The seizure of alcohol in Bihar in huge quantities is a matter of concern as it is a dry state. Apparently, the bottles must have been imported from neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. This has led to huge sale of alcohol in Uttar Pradesh. The revenue of Uttar Pradesh Excise Department arising out of sale of liquor in the state increased to record highs during the period January to August 2025. The income rose 13.5% YoY to ₹22,337 crore during this period. Even in the month of August 2025, the coffers swell up 4.6% to ₹3,754.43 crore The Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar posted on ‘X’ the list of items that agencies have seized: Major seizures made on 05 November 2025 by authorities: Total seizures since the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (Reported amount in ₹lakh): To ensure that the election process remains fair and transparent, continuous joint operations are being conducted by the district administration, police, excise department, income tax department, narcotics bureau, border customs, and flying squads to prevent voters from being influenced!