More than ₹The Election Commission on Thursday said “illegal incentives” worth Rs 1,400 crore were seized during assembly elections in five states/UTs – Puducherry, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
“Unlawful inducements” included monetary value ₹154.89 million, 69.8 million liters worth of liquor ₹183.3 million, drugs cost ₹337.8 crore, the value of the “precious metal”. ₹250 million crowns and free of charge ₹518 million, revealed the Election Commission.
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This was the total number of interceptions till May 6, 2026, the survey body added.
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Illegal incentives worth over ₹ 1,400 crore were seized during assembly elections in five states/UTs. This included cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and gifts.
Seizures in the 2026 assembly elections showed a 40.14% increase compared to the 2021 general elections in the same states/UTs. The total seizure in 2021 was ₹1,029.93 crore.
West Bengal saw the highest increase in captures at 68.92% and Tamil Nadu saw an increase of 48.40% in 2026 compared to 2021 elections.
The Electoral Commission used the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) IT platform. This system improved interagency coordination and simplified communication to share useful inputs.
The illegal inducements seized included cash (₹154.89 million), liquor (69.8 million liters worth ₹183.3 million), drugs (₹337.8 million), precious metals (₹250 million) and gifts (₹518 million).
The EC revealed details of the value of the seizure ₹1,400 crore during the 2026 parliamentary elections: 69.8 million liters of liquor and gifts were seized.
“The figures represent a 40.14% increase in seizures compared to the 2021 general elections in these states/UTs, when seizures reached Rs 1,029.93 crore,” the Election Commission said in a statement.
He added, “West Bengal has seen the highest increase in interceptions at 68.92% and Tamil Nadu has seen an increase in interceptions of 48.40% in 2026 compared to the corresponding figures during the 2021 LA elections.”
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The Electoral Commission said the seizures were facilitated by the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) IT platform, which improved coordination between agencies and simplified communication to share actionable inputs.
Overview of the results of the 2026 parliamentary elections
Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry were held on 9 April. Polling was held in Tamil Nadu on April 23 and in West Bengal in two phases – April 23 and April 29. The results of all five parliamentary elections were announced on May 4.
IN Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, TVK actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay won 108 seats, DMK 59, AIADMK 47, Congress 5, PMK 4, IUML 2, CPI 2, CPI-M 2 and VCK 2. BJP, DMDK and AMMK won one seat each.
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IN PuducherryThe All India NR Congress emerged victorious in 12 of the 16 seats it contested and the BJP won four of the 10 seats it contested. AIADMK and Latchia Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), another component of the NDA, successfully emerged from one seat each and the combine has 18 seats in the 30-member House, two more than the magic number of 16 needed to form a government.
On the other hand, the INDIA bloc won six seats – DMK five and one for the Congress. Most of its candidates, including sitting MP and former Chief Minister Ve Vaithilingam, bit the dust in the hustings. Vaithinlingam was defeated by Rangasamy on his turf, Thattanchavady.
West Bengal there was a massive defeat of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee. The BJP surged to 207 seats, relegating the TMC to just 80, marking a seismic shift in Bengal’s political landscape.
IN AssamWhile the BJP won 82 seats, its allies — the Bodo People’s Front (BPF) and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) — secured 10 seats each in the 126-member assembly.
IN KeralaThe Congress-led United Democratic Front secured a decisive victory, winning 102 seats in the 140-member House, while the Left Democratic Front won 35 seats. The BJP also won three seats.
