Lucknow, Jun 23 (IANS): Sale of liquor more than doubled ahead of Saturday's municipal corporation and local body polls in the Uttar Pradesh capital.

With all the liquor shops closed for the weekend, the candidates have reportedly ensured that the voters' evenings do not go dry.

There was huge demand of alcohol in the market for the last few days, said a salesmen at an Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) shop here.

State's excise department officials also said that in the last four days, IMFL sales had touched 3.22 lakh bottles, beer bottle sale had risen to 7.66 lakh and country liquor to 2,31703 bulk litres.

Police officials say the liquor is meant to "pamper" voters.

"This has always been the scene. But this time, the liquor sales went up unprecedented levels," said a senior district official, who did not want to be named.

With more than 22.47 lakh voters electing a mayor from 12 contestants and 110 corporators from 1,679 contestants, "booze is flowing freely," an official source admitted.

However, officials said that about the hasty purchases of liquor done in the past few days, little could be done.