General Elections and bye-elections 2026: Seizures surpass Rs 510 crores in WB

• Election Commission of India (ECI) reported cumulative seizures of illicit cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies exceeding ₹510.10 crore in West Bengal between 26 Feb–27 Apr 2026, ahead of polls to 5 State/UT Assemblies.
• Drive operationalised via the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) — an inter-agency IT platform for real-time inducement tracking.
• Relevant for UPSC under electoral integrity, Model Code of Conduct (MCC), Article 324, RPA 1951 and governance ethics.