Guwahati, 05 April (HS): The Election Commission of India on Sunday said that seizures related to the upcoming General Elections and by-elections 2026 have crossed ₹650 crore, highlighting intensified enforcement measures to ensure free and fair polls.

According to an official press release, the Commission has conducted multiple review meetings with Chief Secretaries, Chief Electoral Officers, Directors General of Police, and heads of enforcement agencies across five poll-bound states/UTs and 12 adjoining states/UTs. The Commission directed all stakeholders to ensure elections free from violence, intimidation and inducements.

To strengthen monitoring, a total of 5,173 flying squads have been deployed in poll-bound regions to address complaints within 100 minutes. Additionally, over 5,200 Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) have been stationed at various locations to carry out surprise inspections and curb illegal activities.

The Commission stated that since the launch of the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) on February 26, 2026, till April 5, 2026, seizures have reached ₹651.51 crore. West Bengal recorded the highest seizures at ₹319 crore, followed by Tamil Nadu at ₹170 crore. Assam reported seizures worth ₹97 crore, including cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, and other inducements.

Other states such as Kerala and Puducherry reported seizures worth ₹58 crore and ₹7 crore respectively. The total includes ₹53.2 crore in cash, liquor valued at ₹79.3 crore, drugs worth ₹230 crore, precious metals worth ₹58 crore, and freebies and other items worth ₹231.01 crore.

The Commission also emphasized that enforcement actions should not lead to harassment of citizens during inspections and searches. District-level grievance committees have been set up to address complaints in this regard.

Citizens and political parties can report violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) using the C-Vigil module available on the ECINET platform, the Commission added.---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash