New Delhi, April 5 Enforcement authorities in the four states going to the polls and Puducherry have seized over ₹650 crore worth of illicit cash, drugs, and liquor intended to influence voters, the Election Commission said on Sunday.
According to data shared by the election authority, ₹319 crore of illicit cash, drugs, liquor, and valuable metals have been seized from West Bengal, followed by ₹170 crore in Tamil Nadu.
Over 5,173 flying squads have been deployed to ensure that complaints are addressed within 100 minutes.
Besides this, over 5,200 static surveillance teams (SSTs) have also been deployed for setting up surprise check points (barricades) at various locations, the election authority said.
While Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry will go to the polls on April 9, voting in West Bengal will be in two phases on April 23 and 29. Tamil Nadu will have assembly elections in a single phase on April 23.
Assembly by-elections will also be held in eight constituencies across six states on April 9 and 23.
The data, the EC said, has been collated from the Electronic Seizure Management System.
While assembly elections and by-elections were announced on March 15, the Electronic Seizure Management System (ESMS) was activated on February 26.
