Interim Budget: Simmering pollpourri! After all, it’s 2024

With the Lok Sabha elections just months away, interim budget has allocated a 10% hike in funding for election-related expenses. The allocation for poll expenses has risen from Rs 2,183.78 crore in 2023 to Rs 2,442.85 crore in the interim budget. Of this, Rs 1,000 crore will go towards Lok Sabha elections, up from Rs 180 crore allocated last year.

Similarly, against Rs 94 crore allocated for poll-related activities such as preparation and printing of electoral rolls earlier, Rs 1,003.20 crore has been allocated this time, keeping in mind that all states and Union territories have been simultaneously updating and printing electoral rolls, ahead of the big election.

Similarly, from Rs 18 crore allocated towards voter identity cards in 2023, the amount has been hiked to Rs 404.81 crore this year. In total, from Rs 292 crore allocated towards the ‘Organs of Elections’ in 2023, the amount has been significantly stepped up to Rs 2,408 crore in 2024 for the conduct of general elections, mainly to catch up on the major expenses being incurred since late last year.


The bulk of the expenses was towards placing orders for electronic voting machines and voter verifiable paper audit trail machines. While Rs 1,891 crore was allocated for the two machines, revised estimates rose to Rs 2,502 crore to meet the supply needs according to electoral timelines.

To reach the finishing line on availability of adequate machines, another Rs 34.84 crore has been set aside for EVMs this year as well.