Kolkata (West Bengal)

A team of Election Commission Flying Squad seized Rs 25 lakh in cash from a vehicle near CC-2 under ECO Park Police Station in Kolkata, West Bengal, officials said on Friday.

The Flying Squad team was deployed for election surveillance and enforcement operations when it intercepted a suspicious vehicle. The team identified one individual, named Thakor Suraji Abhesang, who was found travelling in a car under circumstances deemed suspicious.

The search led to the recovery of Rs 25 lakhs in cash. Further investigation is underway.

This comes as the assembly election in West Bengal is set to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Counting of votes for both phases will be conducted on May 4.

As per the ECI, the first phase covering 152 Assembly constituencies will begin with the issuance of the gazette notification on March 30. The last date for filing nominations for this phase is April 6, while scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 7. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until April 9. Polling for the first phase will be held on April 23.

For the second phase, which covers 142 Assembly constituencies, the gazette notification will be issued on April 2. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until April 13.

In West Bengal, the Legislative Assembly consists of 294 seats, with the primary contest expected to be between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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The last assembly election in the state was held in eight phases in 2021 amid an intense contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Congress and Left Front drew blank in the last state polls.

TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has been in power in the state since 2011.