Elections 2026: Seizures Surpass Rs 865 Crores in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal

NEW DELHI – The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, along with bye-elections, on March 15, 2026. The Commission has directed all State and Union Territory governments to ensure strict compliance with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The Commission has held multiple review meetings with Chief Secretaries, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), Directors General of Police (DGPs), and senior officers from poll-going states and UTs, as well as their bordering states and UTs, along with the Heads of Enforcement Agencies. All authorities have been directed to ensure violence-free, intimidation-free, and inducement-free elections.

To ensure free and fair polling, over 5,011 Flying Squad Teams (FSTs) — 2,728 in West Bengal and 2,283 in Tamil Nadu — have been deployed across the two states to ensure that complaints are attended to within 100 minutes. In addition, over 5,363 Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) — 3,142 in West Bengal and 2,221 in Tamil Nadu — have been deployed to set up surprise Nakas at various locations.

Seizures Cross Rs 865 Crores

Since the activation of the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) on February 26, 2026, cumulative seizure data up to April 17, 2026, is as follows:

Citizen Grievances and MCC Violation Reporting

The Commission has stressed that enforcement authorities must ensure that ordinary citizens are not inconvenienced or harassed during checking and inspection drives. District Grievance Committees have been set up to address any grievances in this regard.

Citizens and political parties can report MCC violations using the C-Vigil Module on ECINET.