The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed district administrations in four poll-bound states and one union territory to ensure that all banking vehicles transporting cash carry the mandatory QR code generated by the Electoral Control Management System (ESMS) to facilitate verification of the legitimacy of cash in transit, officials familiar with the matter said.
The move has been taken to tighten surveillance on the movement of cases ahead of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal, even before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into force.
According to officials familiar with the details, the digital tag allows flying squads and spending monitoring teams deployed during elections to instantly verify the legality of funds transferred.
“The move is aimed at stifling the flow of unaccounted election funds,” a senior IEC official said, adding that “any funds found without the approved code can be treated as suspicious and confiscated immediately.”
The Commission also imposed severe restrictions on the movement of these vehicles after sunset during the election period.
The QR code holds key transaction details allowing instant verification by implementation teams. When scanned, it reveals the name of the bank, vehicle registration number, amount of cash being transported, source branch, currency box, destination branch or ATM, time of dispatch and details of the authorized bank official.
The ESMS platform is the Commission’s digital system used to track and record seizures of cash, liquor and other inducements during elections.
According to officials, these protocols are usually implemented only after the MCC comes into force, but this time the Commission took the step earlier, indicating a tougher and proactive crackdown on suspicious cash flows ahead of the elections.
