Politicians not really bothered about new poll expenditure limits

HYDERABAD: The Election Commission of India (EC) has finally increased the poll expenditure limits for Lok Sabha and assembly election contestants but cash-rich politicians in Andhra Pradesh are only laughing to scorn at the new revised limits.

In the opinion of politicians of some of the major parties, it does not really matter how much officially the candidates are allowed to spend. "The ground reality is different and the amount that is spent is far above even the new limits," a senior politician said, literally laughing at the new increased limits.

For this year's Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the EC has notified about the increase in expenditure limits and informed them to the election officers in all the states.

During the 2009 elections, the upper limit for LS candidates expenditure was Rs 25 lakh only. This amount got revised to Rs 40 lakh in 2011.

In all the major states, including Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Naidu, and Jammu and Kashmir, a Lok Sabha candidate can now spend up to Rs 70 lakh. However, in other smaller states like Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, the limit is Rs 54 lakh.

Similarly for the assembly constituency, the poll expenditure limit for candidates has been increased to Rs 28 lakh in all major states and Rs 20 lakh in small states. For the assembly elections, the poll expenditure limit was Rs 10 lakh in 2009 but was revised to Rs 16 lakh in 2011.

Andhra Pradesh will go for simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the assembly. After the polls, the state will be bifurcated into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Hardly being happy about the increase in expenditure limits, an MP said the fact of the matter was that a Lok Sabha candidate spends at least Rs 20-25 crore and an MLA contestant up to Rs 10 crore. The amounts will increase depending on constituencies, competition and also the spending power of rival candidates.

"I cannot say whether the limits fixed by the EC are more or less. Since those are the limits, they have to be adhered to," Nellore MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy of the YSR CP said when contacted for his reaction.

Narsampeta MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy of the TDP said there was no point in fixing expenditure limits for candidates. "Ideally, it should be the responsibility of the government or Election Commission to organise public meetings where all candidates should be invited to speak. The entire campaign expenditure should be borne by the government itself," he said.

Though the increase in expenditure was welcomed by an MLA, he said realistically speaking, the limits did not matter at all. "There is more money spent which is unseen than the expenditure that is seen in publicity material. Everyone knows huge amounts of money are distributed right from the day of nominations," he said.

"We will be keeping track of every kind of expenditure of the candidates. The candidates will have to submit their expenditure and bills every three days and they will be verified," said T Chiranjeevulu, Nalgonda district collector and district election officer.