Key Points

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 17 April 2026 said that enforcement agencies have seized inducements worth ₹865 crore in poll-bound West Bengal and Tamil Nadu as part of pre-election surveillance measures. West Bengal accounted for seizures worth ₹427 crore, while Tamil Nadu recorded ₹438 crore.

The poll panel stated that the seizures were made after the activation of the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) on 26 February 2026. The confiscated items include cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and other materials suspected to be used for influencing voters.

A detailed breakdown released by the ECI shows that cash seizures totalled ₹99 crore, of which TN accounted for ₹78 crore and WB ₹21 crore. Liquor seizures were significantly higher in WB, with over 31.9 lakh litres valued at ₹81 crore, compared to 97,107 litres worth ₹3 crore in TN.

Drug seizures amounted to ₹100 crore in WB and ₹74 crore in TN. In contrast, TN recorded higher recoveries of precious metals, valued at ₹105 crore, compared to ₹54 crore in WB. The value of seized freebies and other inducement items was broadly similar, with ₹172 crore in WB and ₹178 crore in TN.

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The ECI said these seizures are part of a broader effort to ensure ‘violence-free, intimidation-free and inducement free elections’. It has held multiple review meetings with senior officials, including Chief Secretaries, Chief Electoral Officers and Directors General of Police, as well as heads of enforcement agencies in poll-bound states and neighbouring regions.

To strengthen monitoring, more than 5,000 Flying Squad Teams and over 5,300 Static Surveillance Teams have been deployed across the two states. These teams are tasked with conducting surprise checks, setting up monitoring points and responding to complaints, with a targeted response time of under 100 minutes.

The ECI emphasised that while enforcement actions are being intensified, authorities have been directed to ensure that ordinary citizens are not inconvenienced or harassed during checks. District-level grievance committees have been set up to address complaints related to enforcement activities.

Citizens and political parties have also been encouraged to report violations of the Model Code of Conduct through the C-Vigil mobile application, which enables real-time reporting of suspected electoral malpractices.

The large-scale seizures come ahead of Assembly elections in both states. Polling in Tamil Nadu is scheduled to be held in a single phase on 23 April 2026, while West Bengal will go to the polls in two phases on 23 April and 29 April 2026. Results will be declared on 4 May 2026.

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