Bengal, Tamil Nadu elections: Cash, liquor, drug seizures cross ₹1,000 crore in election-bound states
Officials added that these teams are conducting surprise checks and setting up checkpoints across key locations. Complaints are being addressed within a strict timeline of 100 minutes.
Ahead of voting in the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2026, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has informed in a press release that seizures in the poll-bound states have surpassed ₹1,000 crores. The seizures include cash, liquor, drug value and more.
After the Election Commission announced the schedule for the General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and bye-elections on March 15, 2026, it also directed the State/UT governments to ensure that Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is strictly complied with.
“It may be recalled that the Commission has held multiple review meetings with the Chief Secretaries, CEOs, DGPs, and senior officers from the poll-going states/UTs and their bordering states/UTs along with the Heads of Enforcement Agencies and directed them to ensure violence-free, intimidation-free and inducement free elections,” the poll body said.
Officials added that these teams are conducting surprise checks and setting up checkpoints across key locations. Complaints are being addressed within a strict timeline of 100 minutes.
To ensure free and fair elections and that complaints are attended to, the poll body deployed over 5,011 (2,728 in WB and 2,283 in TN) Flying Squad Teams (FSTs) have been deployed. “Besides this, over 5,363 (3,142 in WB and 2,221 in TN) Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) have also been deployed for setting up surprise Nakas at different locations,” it said.
In West Bengal, ₹27.48 crore cash, 39,31,463 litres of liquor which valvued at ₹ ₹102.45 crore were seized. The authorities also seized drugs worth ₹108.11 crore. In addition, freebies and other inducement-related items account for the largest share, valued at ₹178.84 crore. All the seizure in West Bengal totalled to ₹472.89 crore.
In Tamil Nadu, cash seizures amount to ₹100.19 crore, while 1,17,713 litres of liquor have been confiscated, valued at ₹3.85 crore. Drugs worth ₹76.72 crore have also been seized, along with precious metals valued at ₹159.31 crore. Additionally, freebies and other inducements account for the largest share at ₹259.14 crore.
At the same time, the poll body urged authorities to strike a balance between vigilance and public convenience. "Enforcement authorities should ensure that ordinary citizens are not inconvenienced or harassed during checking and inspection," the statement said.
The first phase of the Assembly elections in West Bengal will be held tomorrow, while the second phase is scheduled for April 29. In Tamil Nadu, the Assembly elections are also set to take place tomorrow. The counting of votes and declaration of results for both states will be conducted on May 4.
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
For about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank FDs, real estate, income tax and more. 3. Politics: Comprehensive coverage of general elections, state elections and bypolls, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Parliament, PMO, PIB, finance ministry, home ministry, among other union ministries and government departments. 4. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic indicators like- GDP, inflation, forex, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, interest rate cycle, economic recovery, RBI circulars, indirect taxes, GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy imports, exports and everything that impacts Indian economy. 6. Geopolitics: Well-rounded and deeply researched coverage on US News, Oval Office European Union, Ukraine Russia War, middle-east crisis, royal families and global leaders like - Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and premiers of other leading economies in the world. Meet the Team 1. Gulam Jeelani, Political Affairs Editor 2. Sugam Singhal, Senior Assistant Editor 3. Chanchal, Assistant Editor 4. Sanchari Ghosh, Chief Content Producer 5. Pratik Prashant Mukane, Chief Content Producer 6. Sayantani Biswas, Chief Content Producer 7. Ravi Hari, Deputy Chief Content Producer 8. Garvit Bhirani, Deputy Chief Content Producer 9. Akriti Anand, Senior Content Producer 10. Jocelyn Felix Fernandes, Senior Content Producer 11. Swastika Das Sharma, Content Producer 12. Mausam Jha, Content Producer 13. Riya R Alex, Trainee Content Producer
Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Wait for it…
Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.