The Election Commission on Sunday “strongly advised” the finance ministry that any action by its enforcement agencies during the poll season should be “neutral” and “non-discriminatory” and poll panel officials should be kept in the loop.

The commission’s advice came against the backdrop of several income-tax raids in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, and in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the recent past, on politicians and their associates.

In a letter to the Union revenue secretary, the commission said it would like to “strongly advise that all enforcement actions during the election period… should be absolutely neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory”.

It said the state chief electoral officers must be kept “suitably informed” about any suspected use of illicit money in the polls.