NE POLITICAL BUREAU
NEW DELHI, MAY 7
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has significantly tightened its enforcement mechanisms during the General Elections to Legislative Assemblies in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, along with bye-elections in seven Assembly Constituencies across five states, resulting in a record crackdown on illegal inducements and electoral malpractice.
Reinforcing the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which remains in force in all poll-bound regions except 144-Falta Assembly Constituency in West Bengal, the Commission undertook a multi-layered surveillance and enforcement strategy to ensure free, fair and inducement-free elections.
- ECI enforces strict Model Code of Conduct across Assam, Kerala, TN, West Bengal, Puducherry and bye-elections in 2026
- Massive deployment of 7,470 Flying Squads, 7,470 SSTs and 376 Expenditure Observers ensures real-time monitoring
- Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) drives coordinated, tech-enabled crackdown on bribery and inducements
- Over ₹1,444 crore worth illicit assets seized including cash, drugs, liquor, gold and freebies across poll-bound regions
- Seizures surge 40.14% over 2021 elections, with sharp spike recorded in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu
During the electoral process, the ECI conducted multiple high-level review meetings with Chief Secretaries, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), Directors General of Police (DGPs), senior officials of poll-bound and neighbouring states, along with enforcement agency heads to coordinate real-time action against violations.
To ensure strict vigilance on ground, the Commission deployed 376 Expenditure Observers drawn from premier services including IRS (Income Tax and Customs), IA&AS, IRAS, IDAS, IP&TAFS and ICAS, alongside 7,470 Flying Squad Teams (FSTs) and 7,470 Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs), forming a robust enforcement grid across constituencies.
A key driver of this enforcement success was the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS), an integrated digital platform enabling real-time inter-agency coordination, intelligence sharing and rapid response to electoral violations.
According to official data, since the activation of ESMS on February 26, 2026, total seizures up to May 6, 2026 stood at ₹1,444.96 crore, covering cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies across states.
ECI data shows Tamil Nadu accounted for ₹662.28 crore in seizures, followed by West Bengal at ₹573.41 crore, Assam at ₹117.24 crore, Kerala at ₹80.67 crore and Puducherry at ₹9.72 crore.
Overall seizures included ₹154.89 crore in cash, over 69 lakh litres of liquor, ₹337.88 crore worth of drugs, ₹250.14 crore in precious metals and ₹518.73 crore in freebies and other inducements.
The Commission noted that total seizures increased by 40.14 per cent compared to the 2021 Assembly elections in these states and UTs, when the figure stood at ₹1,029.93 crore. West Bengal recorded the highest surge at 68.92 per cent, while Tamil Nadu saw a 48.40 per cent increase over the previous election cycle.
Officials attributed the rise in seizures to strengthened surveillance mechanisms, improved coordination among enforcement agencies and the data-driven monitoring enabled by ESMS.
