Chennai, March 21 Seizures across Tamil Nadu so far are worth approximately Rs 75 crore, given the intensified enforcement measures ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, CEO Archana Patnaik said on Saturday.
The Election Commission is implementing robust mechanisms for monitoring election expenditure, Patnaik said, adding that surveillance and enforcement teams are actively deployed across the state to curb illegal inducements, including cash, liquor, drugs, and other prohibited items.
As a result of these intensified enforcement measures, the cumulative seizures recorded across Tamil Nadu as of March 21, 2026, is worth approximately Rs 75.03 crore, the Chief Electoral Officer said in a statement here.
Providing a breakdown of seizures, the top officer, who is also the principal secretary to the government, said that Rs 23.74 crore was the cash seizure, the value of liquor seized was Rs 0.51 crore, and drugs/narcotics was Rs 5.63 crore. Additionally, Rs 23.19 crore worth of precious metals and Rs 21.96 crore worth of other items/freebies were seized.
In order to ensure transparency and accountability in the conduct of elections, the Election Commission has deployed 136 general observers, 40 police observers, and 151 expenditure observers. These observers have been assigned to the 234 Assembly constituencies across Tamil Nadu.