The State Election Commission has warned political parties that income-tax raids would be conducted if indulgence of any party in cash-for-vote practice was found out.

The Commission`s control room has so far received 232 complaints of cash-for-vote attempt by political parties; 227 of those complaints were attended to and disposed off, the Commission says. Rs.5.31 lakhs have so far been seized after the poll-schedule for the R.K. Nagar Assembly by-poll was released, the Commission says.

Political parties in the fray have intensified their campaign as it is less than a week for the campaigning to be concluded in R.K. Nagar which is to vote on 21st December to elect its new representative in place of deceased former chief-minister J. Jayalalithaa. The EC found it almost impossible to stop the flow of cash in the form of cash-for-vote practice in April when the by-polls slated to be held on 12th April were cancelled.

EC has received information that voters of the constituency were being paid in cash and in kind outside` the constituency so as not to attract the EC`s attention. It is in this backdrop that the EC has warned political parties that income-tax raids would follow if practice of cash-for-vote or distribution of any other items to voters is found.