New Delhi: Drugs worth Rs 337.88 crore were seized during the recently concluded Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, with the Election Commission reporting overall poll-related recoveries of Rs 1,444.96 crore.

Among all the states, West Bengal recorded the highest drug seizures at Rs 130.28 crore, followed by Tamil Nadu at Rs 78.61 crore and Assam at Rs 70.08 crore. Kerala saw drug recoveries worth Rs 58.47 crore, while no drug seizures were reported from Puducherry.

Tamil Nadu registered the highest overall seizures at Rs 662.28 crore, driven largely by freebie recoveries worth Rs 307.65 crore and precious metals valued at Rs 165.86 crore. The state also topped cash seizures with Rs 105.22 crore recovered during the poll period.

West Bengal followed with total recoveries amounting to Rs 573.41 crore. The state recorded the highest liquor seizures, with authorities confiscating over 58.58 lakh litres of liquor valued at Rs 151.86 crore. It also reported freebie seizures worth Rs 190.77 crore.

Assam saw total seizures worth Rs 117.24 crore, including liquor valued at Rs 22.71 crore and freebies worth Rs 14.7 crore. Kerala reported overall recoveries of Rs 80.67 crore, while Puducherry recorded the lowest total seizures at Rs 9.72 crore.

According to the Election Commission, a total of Rs 154.89 crore in illicit cash was recovered across the five poll-bound regions. Authorities also seized nearly 69.88 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 183.33 crore. Precious metals valued at Rs 250.14 crore and freebies worth Rs 518.73 crore were also confiscated during the enforcement drives.

The Election Commission said the seizures represented a 40.14 per cent increase compared to the 2021 Assembly elections in the same states and Union Territory, when total recoveries stood at Rs 1,029.93 crore.

To curb inducements and ensure free and fair elections, the poll body deployed 376 expenditure observers, 7,470 flying squad teams and 7,470 static surveillance teams across the states.

The seizures were facilitated through the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS), an IT platform launched on February 26 ahead of the poll announcement on March 15 to improve coordination among enforcement agencies.

Polling for the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry was held in April, while counting took place on May 4.