Twelve days after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal yielded Rs 7 crore in cash

Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Arindam Neogi said on Thursday that more than Rs 7 crore in cash and alcohol valued more than Rs 30.96 crore had been recovered from West Bengal in the last 12 days since the Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 16. The Election Commission reports that after the Lok Sabha polls were announced, pharmaceuticals valued at Rs 15.33 crore, jewelry valued at Rs 22.63 crore (without the required paperwork), and freebies valued at Rs 52.94 crore have been taken into custody.

The Election Commission has designated six Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal—Darjeeling, Asansol, Malda South, Bongaon, Kolkata North, and Kolkata South—as “financially sensitive.” The districts of Darjeeling, 30 km with Bhutan, 19 km with Bangladesh, and the Malda South and Bongaon seats share an international border with Bangladesh. The European Commission has met on these seats multiple times in an effort to stop the flow of cash and illegal goods. Officials say that in preparation for the first round of elections on April 19, central soldiers have been stationed for confidence-building exercises in three Lok Sabha constituencies: Cooch Behar (17), Jalpaiguri (11) and Alipurduar (9). There are seventeen contestants in Cooch Behar, thirteen in Jalpaiguri, and eleven in.

Eighteen companies of central forces have been reserved for the second phase of elections in Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, and South Dinajpur provinces. As of right now, 177 companies of the central army are stationed in West Bengal. Alok Sinha and Anil Kumar Sharma, the two special observers designated by the Election Commission, will assume leadership in West Bengal and are anticipated to arrive in Kolkata the following week. Sinha is a former IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, having joined in 1988. In addition to serving as chairman of the Airports Authority of India, he held the position of additional chief secretary to the UP government. Sharma is a former Punjab cadre IPS officer, having joined the force in 1984. He had served as a special observer and was Punjab’s chief of intelligence.