₹1,000 crore in poll freebies, cash, liquor seized in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu

New Delhi: Over ₹1,000 crore worth of seizures have been made in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu ahead of Assembly polls beginning Thursday.

While Tamil Nadu, voting in a single phase, has seen seizures worth ₹599 crore, West Bengal - polling in two phases on April 23 and 29 - has recorded over ₹472 crore, the Election Commission of India said on Wednesday.

Freebies account for a significant share: ₹259.14 crore in Tamil Nadu and ₹178.83 crore in West Bengal. Tamil Nadu also reported ₹100 crore in cash seizures, while West Bengal logged ₹102 crore in liquor and ₹108 crore in drugs.


The poll panel said it has intensified action against money power, deploying 5,011 Flying Squad Teams (2,728 in WB; 2,283 in TN) to ensure complaints are addressed within 100 minutes. Additionally, 5,363 Static Surveillance Teams (3,142 in WB; 2,221 in TN) have been set up for surprise nakas.

Earlier, the ECI held review meetings with chief secretaries, CEOs, DGPs and enforcement agencies of poll-bound and neighbouring states, directing them to ensure "violence-free, intimidation-free and inducement-free" elections.

The Commission has stressed that the enforcement authorities should ensure that ordinary citizens are not inconvenienced or harassed during the checking and inspection for the enforcement of these directives. District Grievance Committees have also been set up to address any grievances in this regard, the ECI said.