The Income Tax Department on Saturday conducted searches at multiple locations in poll-bound Jharkhand, including on the premises of a person linked to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, as part of a tax evasion probe, official sources said.

A total of nine premises in the state's capital Ranchi and Jamshedpur are being raided in an operation that started early morning. A security team of the CRPF is assisting the I-T sleuths, the sources said.

The locations linked to Sunil Shrivastava, an aide to the CM, are also being searched, they said.

The action is linked to recent probes launched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over alleged illegal liquor trade and mining in the state, the sources said.

The assembly elections are scheduled for November 13 and 20, and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.

Reacting to the I-T searches, the state Congress said this is not new for Jharkhand.

Congress leader Rakesh Sinha claimed, “This is nothing new for Jharkhand. I-T raids are often carried out on the premises of opposition leaders and their staffers in the state. The BJP is trying to establish its footing through I-T and ED raids ahead of the elections. With such actions, they are just attempting to create pressure on opposition leaders."

BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, “I do not know why the ruling parties in the state link the searches with the elections. They should wait till the official version of the I-T department comes out.”

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