New Delhi, March 10 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed the district administrations of four poll-bound states and one Union Territory to ensure that all bank vehicles transporting cash carry a mandatory QR code generated through the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) to ease verification of the legitimacy of the cash in transit, officials aware of the matter said.

The step has been taken to tighten surveillance on movement of case 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 expenditure monitoring teams deployed dur...