Kolkata, April 8: The Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday that between February 26 and April 6, illegal and unauthorized goods valued at approximately ₹327.44 crore were seized in West Bengal. The state is preparing for a crucial two-phase assembly election scheduled for later this month.
The office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal released a press statement detailing the seized illegal items.
According to the statement, a total of ₹11.01 crore worth of goods were confiscated. This includes illegal liquor valued at ₹57.71 crore and narcotics worth ₹67.35 crore. Precious metals seized during this period amounted to ₹38.55 crore, while other items were valued at ₹162.80 crore.
As of April 4, the state has also confiscated 251 unlicensed firearms and related materials, along with 401 cartridges. Additionally, 127.7 kilograms of explosives and 887 bombs were seized.
The state CEO’s office reported that extensive campaigns are underway to remove unauthorized political advertisements.
The statement further emphasized, “The ECI is committed to ensuring that elections in all 294 assembly seats in West Bengal are conducted with the highest standards of transparency, fairness, and security. Voting is scheduled for April 23 and April 29. The West Bengal CEO office is closely monitoring compliance with the model code of conduct and the deployment of central armed police forces.”
Security arrangements for the upcoming assembly elections are exceptionally tight. The largest deployment of paramilitary forces to date has been made in the state, with around 2,400 companies of paramilitary personnel, totaling approximately 240,000 personnel, stationed across West Bengal.
Notably, this deployment is more than double that of the previous elections, reflecting the administration’s seriousness regarding security.
Additionally, a record number of female security personnel have been deployed this time. Reports indicate that around 20,000 female paramilitary soldiers, equivalent to about 200 companies, have been assigned to election duty.
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