The Election Commission (EC) has sought deployment of the investigation machinery of the Income Tax department for checking movement of illegal funds during the forthcoming assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which was written to by the Commission, has asked its probe Directorates based in Chandigarh (for Himachal Pradesh), Surat and Ahmedabad (for Gujarat) to deploy senior officials and staff as 'expenditure observers' for these polls.

"All the I-T investigation offices in these two states will act to accomplish the EC mandate of curbing illegal money power and black money in the run up to the polls. The CBDT has asked the directorates to act in this regard," an official said.

The EC has a special election expenditure monitoring cell to counter black money instances at the hustings.

The I-T has also alerted its Air Intelligence Units (AIUs) in these states to keep a check and intercept huge cash movement from airports.

Representatives of all the recognised political parties of these states will also meet Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and other senior EC authorities tomorrow in order to discuss various issues related to funding during the polls.

The EC has also directed the elite Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), functioning under the Finance Ministry, to sift through their records for any suspect instance of information about the assets and liabilities of candidates participating in the polls or suspicious transactions in banking channels.

The FIU receives regular Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and Cash Transaction Reports (CTRs) from banks, insurance companies and intermediaries as per regulations stipulated under anti-money laundering laws.