Rs 95 Lakhs! That Is The Maximum Amount A Lok Sabha Candidate Can Spend
In preparation for the upcoming general elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the expenditure limits for candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the revised guidelines issued by the ECI, the maximum permissible expenditure for campaigning in a Lok Sabha constituency varies across different states and Union Territories.
In most states, including Andhra Pradesh, the expenditure ceiling for a Lok Sabha candidate is set at Rs. 95 lakh.
Picture this : If there are a minimum 4 candidates in a constituency, the expense alone by these candidates will be Rs 380 lakhs. And if one calculates it to all 533 constituencies across India, the expenses would come to over Rs 2025.4 crore.
However, in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, and Sikkim, the limit is slightly lower at Rs. 75 lakh per candidate. Similarly, for Union Territories, the expenditure ceiling ranges from Rs. 75 lakh to Rs. 95 lakh per candidate, depending on the region.
The expenditure limit encompasses various campaign-related expenses, including public meetings, rallies, advertisements, hoardings, pamphlets, flexs, and other election-related activities. All expenses incurred from the nomination of the candidate until the conclusion of the election process will be accounted for and evaluated by the Election Commission.
In Andhra Pradesh, where assembly elections will be conducted concurrently with the Lok Sabha polls, the maximum expenditure allowed for an assembly candidate is capped at Rs. 40 lakh.
Candidates are required to maintain separate account books for election expenditure and are permitted to utilise only one bank account for all election-related transactions. Additionally, stringent measures have been put in place to regulate cash flow during the election period. Contesting candidates, agents, and party cadres are prohibited from carrying more than ₹50,000 in cash and Rs 10,000 worth of material in their vehicles while the election code is enforced. Any excess cash or material found will be seized by the election authorities.
However, recognised political parties' star campaigners have been granted a higher limit, with a maximum of Rs 1 lakh permitted in their vehicles during campaign activities.
These spending limits and regulations aim to ensure transparency and accountability in election financing while maintaining a level playing field for all candidates contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The political parties opine that looking at the growing inflation, the cap looks perfect.
BJP MLC Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, “We welcome the norms and the cap announced by the Election Commission of India. As a political party, BJP works 24X7 and our party members and candidates believe in following the rules. The election expenses need to be managed well and BJP efficiently knows how to do it.”
Surendra Rajput, National Media panellist of Congress too opined similar sentiments. “The cost of contesting elections is really high now. Look at the inflation now. The per day expense for a candidate now comes to around Rs 1 to 2 lakhs as everything has become expensive now. By creating a cap, the ECI has made things easier.”
Political analyst Utkarsh Sinha however has a different opinion. “Elections are becoming more expensive with every year. 95 lakhs is a good option. The elections have now changed. Mobility and hi-tech campaigns are now getting costly. This cap is only a cover. It has to be seen whether the ECI is able to implement or not. All candidates never file the complete details, it always shows under utilised. But this also raises a question whether a common man can contest elections or not.”
Basant Babal, Political analyst from Rajasthan and founder Pandav Politics said, “I welcome this decision of Election Commission. This would help candidates reach as many voters as possible. We need more experiments in this space. In the current context of general elections, elections are planned based on the brand value of political parties or key popular faces. Due to lack of time, the MPs are not always available on the booth. This creates a gap in the voters' understanding and awareness of the working style of their MPs and MP candidates. I think, EC can work on candidates interacting personally with the public for debates, public rallies and social media by monitoring it. This would strengthen Indian democracy.”
