PANAJI
The Election Commission of India on Thursday notified the revised election expenditure limit for candidates in Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies.
With elections close at heel, Goa’s prospective Assembly constituency candidates will now have to abide by the maximum limit of election expenses of Rs 28 lakh for each candidate. Previously, the limit set in 2014 was Rs 20 lakh.
Simultaneously, the election expenditure limit for candidates in a Parliamentary constituency has been raised to Rs 75 lakh.
The last major revision in the election expenditure for candidates was carried out in 2014, which was further increased by 10 per cent in 2020.
Simultaneously, the ECI formed a committee comprising retired IRS officer Harish Kumar, secretary general Harish Kumar and deputy Election Commissioner of India Chandra Bhushan Kumar to study the cost factors and other related issues and to make suitable recommendations. Suggestions were invited from political parties, chief electoral officers and election observers.
The committee found that there has been a substantial increase in the number of electors and cost inflation index since 2014. Changing models of campaigning with a gradual shift towards virtual campaigning have also been factored in.
While the political parties had demanded an increase of 12.23 per cent, there was a rise in cost inflation index by 32.08 per cent. The committee, therefore, recommended an enhanced ceiling limit on individual candidate expenditure both in Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies.
For Parliamentary Constituency the new limit is Rs 75 lakh as opposed to earlier limit of Rs 54 lakh. The revised capping will be applicable in all upcoming elections, said ECI. The agency said these may be called the Conduct of elections (Amendment) Rules, 2022.
