Strengthen the system to control the expenditure during elections: Forum for Good Governance to ECI

Hyderabad: Raising issues on the contested candidates submitting false election expenses during the Telangana Elections held recently, the Forum for Good Governance gave a representation to the Election Commission of India to strengthen the system to control the expenditure elections.

They requested the ECI to control the purchase of votes and lure voters with liquor in the forthcoming elections.

As per Section 77 of the R.P. Act, every candidate at an election shall keep a separate and correct account of all the expenditures in connection with the election incurred between the date on which he has been nominated and the date of declaration of the results.

The accounts have to be submitted within 30 days from the declaration of results. Further the Supreme Court of India (L.R. Shwarama Goud Vs T.M. Chandra Shekar A.I.R. 1999 S.C. 252) has stated that the candidate shall not only submit the accounts within time but also maintain true and correct accounts. Every candidate limit is Rs 40 lakhs:

The Election Commission of India has fixed a limit of Rs 40 lakhs for each candidate in recently conducted Assembly elections in Telangana. After the elections, the District Collectors received the accounts from candidates and uploaded them to the Chief Electoral Office (C.E.O.) website.

On perusing the election expenses accounts, the expenditure shown by candidates ranges from Rs 20 lakhs to 35 lakhs.

There are election expenditure observers for each constituency deputed by the Election Commission of India, and they regularly check the expenditure details and certify the accounts.

However, on ground reality, candidates have spent only Rs 40 lakhs in Assembly elections. Candidates from recognized

political parties have spent not less than 10 Crore, and in keenly contested constituencies, the amount has gone up to Rs 50 crores.

No followup on the seized money:

"While the officers on election duty watch helplessly, the votes are purchased at Rs 1000-Rs 3000. When such a violation is happening openly, what the expenditure observers, R.O. and District Collectors are doing is a big question. Again, during the last Assembly elections, the District Collectors and C.E.O. Telangana gave daily accounts of money seized during the elections. Once the elections were concluded, it was reported that close to Rs 800 crores of cash and a large quantity of gold ornaments were caught. But what happened to the seized money and gold?" questioned the President of Forum for Good Governance, Padmanabha Reddy.

According to the Forum for Good Governance, the state has a notorious track record of candidates purchasing votes and committing other code violations.