MP Elections: In 2013 , no MLA breached expenditure limit

BHOPAL: It may seem bizarre, but official records confirm that none of the existing MLAs spent even Rs 16 lakh (the official limit) on their poll campaign in 2013.

According to the analysis conducted by Association For Democratic Reforms (ADR), at least five MLAs, including minister Uma Shankar Gupta, had declared that they spent less than Rs 4 lakh. The same analysis also states that 22 MLAs, who are ministers now, had spent less than Rs 8 lakh, which is only 50% of the permissible expenditure limit.

It is noteworthy that EC has increased the limit of expenditure in this assembly elections to Rs 28 lakh for each candidate.

Congress MLA from Bhagwanpura in Khargone district Vijay Singh Solanki, who spent just Rs 2.38 lakh, said: “Yes, I had spent very less. I will ask the people who managed my campaign and share the details later”.

BJP MLA from Pansemal constituency of Barwani district Deewan Singh attributed the hard work of his workers behind the low expenditure.

“I belong to a tribal constituency and most of the areas were unapproachable by vehicles, hence we mostly walked to the voters, used motorcycles and even bi-cycles. We also avoided major election programmes by big leaders as big programmes lead to greater expenditure. Party workers moved on cycles, conducted mohalla meetings where even loudspeakers were not used. We only have four small towns in our constituency and we had only put up posters and banners in the town. I am grateful to all my party workers who had made it a mission to ensure minimum expenses. We ate ‘sev-parmal’ (puffed rice and snacks) which is cheap and traditional food in our area,” Singh said.

Activists working for electoral reforms, however, feel that either ECI should intensify election expenditure monitoring or if no MLA is spending upto the permissible limits, then there is no need for increasing the limit.

“It seems that expenditure monitoring is not being done properly and if everything is fine and expenditures are so low, then there is no need for increasing expenditure limit to Rs 28 lakh,” MPco-ordinator of ADR Rolly Shivhare told TOI.