Lok Sabha Election 2024: Do you know how much a candidate can spend on campaigning in Lok Sabha elections?
The trumpet of Lok Sabha elections has been blown. Voting for the first phase will begin from April 19. Do you know how much a candidate can spend on campaigning in Lok Sabha elections? Between the first Lok Sabha elections and the current elections, campaign expenditure has increased by 389 percent. Let us find out how the election campaign expenditure has increased since independence.
While announcing the elections, the Central Election Commission has clarified that candidates from small states can spend up to Rs 75 lakh for campaigning, while candidates contesting Lok Sabha from large states can spend up to Rs 95 lakh. Candidates can spend up to 40 lakhs in the states where assembly elections are going to be held.
Efforts for fair elections
The Central Election Commission is trying to ensure that the elections conducted in the country are fair. Therefore, a limit is placed on the expenditure incurred during the elections. In general, money is used to win elections. Voters are lured with money. Hence a limit on campaign expenditure drawn up by the Commission is necessary. Candidates can spend on tea and water, meetings, meetings, rallies, advertisements, posters, vehicles etc.
A candidate’s expenses are recorded from the time he files his application to contest the election. According to the Central Election Commission rules, every candidate has to keep an account of expenses for each day in a diary after filing the application. The Central Commission has to account for these expenses after the election process is over. This helps to curb the unaccounted expenses of the candidate to some extent.
What was the limit in the first Lok Sabha?
Lok Sabha elections were held in 1951 after independence in the country. At that time, the candidate was allowed to spend up to 25 thousand rupees. This limit remained in place till the 1967 Lok Sabha elections. In 1971, this limit was increased to 35 thousand. After the 1977 election, there was no change in it. It was then modified as required.
A committee was constituted to determine the limit of campaign expenditure in elections. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the campaign expenditure limit was raised to Rs 25 lakh. The same limit remained in 2009 elections. Then on 23 February 2011, the Central Election Commission issued a new notification. According to this, the expenditure limit for Lok Sabha elections for different states has been raised from Rs.22 lakh to Rs.40 lakh.
Before the 2014 elections, the expenditure limit was raised from Rs 54 lakh to Rs 70 lakh for different states. No change was made in the 2019 election. A committee was formed in this regard in 2020. This committee has set the limit of election expenses to Rs 95 lakh this year.
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