Press Release: Analysis of Election Expenditure statements of MPs for the Lok Sabha Elections 2019

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Press Release

Date: July 2, 2021

Dear Friends,

According to Section 78 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, every contesting candidate has to lodge a true copy of his election expenses within 30 days from the date of declaration of result of election, with the District Election Officer in all States and Union Territories. National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms have analysed the election expenditure statements of 538 out 543 MPs who won the Lok Sabha 2019 elections. The election expenditure limit per candidate for the general election is Rs. 70 Lakhs for big states and Rs. 54 Lakhs for smaller states. These election expense documents include details of expenses on public meetings and processions, campaigning through electronic and print media, expense on campaign workers, expense on vehicles used and expense on campaign materials.

The full reports in English and Hindi can be accessed here: https://adrindia.org/content/lok-sabha-elections-2019-analysis-election-expenditure-statements-mps

Recommendations:

Each Winner is required to file his election expenditure statement within 30 days of the results of the elections, the deadline in case of the Lok Sabha Elections being the 23^rd June 2019. However, it was observed that the election expenditure statements of the Winners were not uploaded on the CEO/DEO’s website till significantly after the deadline. It is recommended that the Abstract Expenditure Statement (Annexure E2) of the MPs is uploaded on the website of the CEO within 72 hours of the receipt of the statement.
The deadline for filing an election petition against any Winner is 45 days after the declaration of the results. Generally, MPs submit their election expenditure statements towards the end of the 30 days given for submission of the statements. This leaves 15 days for any common citizen to file an election petition against any Winner. The deadline for filing an election petition should be increased in order to give the citizens time to scrutinize the election expenditure statements of the MPs and gather the relevant documents/proof etc. for the election petition.
As has been instated in the filing of affidavits during the elections, the MPs should not be allowed to keep any field blank on the Abstract Election Expenditure statement (Annexure E2) and Schedule 1 to 10. The statements must be filled in a legible format and overwriting of amounts in the statement should be discouraged.

Summary and Highlights of Election Expenses of MPs from the Lok Sabha 2019 Elections

Less than 50% of the Limit: Out of 538 MPs analysed, 56 (10%) MPs have declared election expenses less than 50% of the expense limit in their constituency.
Expenditure more than the Expense Limit: There are two MPs who have exceeded the expense limit. Hasnain Masoodi (JKNC) from Anantnag constituency, Jammu and Kashmir has exceeded the expense limit by Rs. 9, 27,920. Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan (BJP) from Gorakhpur constituency, Uttar Pradesh has exceeded the expense limit by Rs.7,95,916.The details of these two MPs are given below:

S.No.

Name

State

Constituency

Party

Whether expenses lodged

Expenditure incurred by MPs (Rs.)

Expense Limit (Rs.)

Total expenses
incurred (Rs.)

Total
Expense exceeding the Limit (Rs.)

% of limit reached

Candidate/his
election agent (Rs.)

Political party
which fielded MP

Any other association/
body of persons/
individual (Rs.)

Hasnain Masoodi

Jammu & Kashmir

Anantnag

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference

Yes

79,27,920

70,00,000
70 Lacs+

79,27,920
79 Lacs+

9,27,920

113%

Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan

Uttar Pradesh

Gorakhpur

BJP

Yes

55,87,236

22,08,680

70,00,000
70 Lacs+

77,95,916
77 Lacs+

7,95,916

111%

Table: MPs who have exceeded the election expenditure limit

3. Average Election Expenses: Based on the election expense declarations of 538 MPs from Lok Sabha 2019 to the ECI, the average amount of money spent by them in the elections is Rs 50.84 lakhs, which is 73% of the expense limit.

4. State-wise Average Election Expenses:

Figure: State-wise Average Election Expenses (Rs.in lakhs)

5. Party-wise Average Election Expenses: The party wise average election expenses shows that the average spending for 302 MPs from BJP is Rs 51.35 lakhs (73.6% of the average expense limit), for 51 MPs from INC is Rs 51.72 lakhs (74.9% of the average expense limit), for 23 MPs from DMK is Rs 46.40 Lakhs (66.3% of the average expense limit) and for 22 MPs from AITC is Rs. 54 Lakhs (77.2% of the average expense limit).

Figure: Party-wise Average Election Expenses (Rs.in lakhs)

6. Top 3 MPs with highest Election Expenses: The details of top 3 MPs who have declared highest election expenses are given below:

S.No.	Name	State	Constituency	Party	Expense Limit	Total expenses incurred (Rs.)	% of limit reached
S.No.	Name	State	Constituency	Party	Expense Limit	Total expenses incurred (Rs.)	% of limit reached
1	Hasnain Masoodi	Jammu & Kashmir	Anantnag	Jammu & Kashmir National Conference	70,00,000 70 Lacs+	**79,27,920 79 Lacs+	113%
2	Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan	Uttar Pradesh	Gorakhpur	BJP	70,00,000 70 Lacs+	**77,95,916 77 Lacs+	111%
3	Tirath Singh Rawat	Uttarakhand	Garhwal	BJP	70,00,000 70 Lacs+	**69,85,941 69 Lacs+	100%

Table: Top 3 MPs with highest election expenditure

**on total expenses value indicates that the MP has not provided the total in their affidavits, it has been calculated on the basis of details provided by them in the same

7. MPs with lowest Election Expenses: The details of 3 MPs who have declared lowest election expenses are given below:

S.No.	Name	State	Constituency	Party	Expense Limit	Total expenses incurred (Rs.)	% of limit reached
S.No.	Name	State	Constituency	Party	Expense Limit	Total expenses incurred (Rs.)	% of limit reached
1	Indra Hang Subba	Sikkim	Sikkim	Sikkim Krantikari Morcha	54,00,000 54 Lacs+	7,08,281 7 Lacs+	13%
2	Goddeti Madhavi	Andhra Pradesh	Araku	YSRCP	70,00,000 70 Lacs+	14,12,180 14 Lacs+	20%
3	Kiren Rijiju	Arunachal Pradesh	Arunachal West	BJP	54,00,000 54 Lacs+	14,79,525 14 Lacs+	27%

Table: 3 MPs with lowest election expenditure

8. Expense on Public Meeting, Rally, and Processions with Star Campaigners: Out of the 538 MPs analyzed, 470 (87%) MPs have declared that they have spent funds on public meetings, processions etc. With star campaigners and 68 (13%) MPs have declared that they have not spent any funds on public meetings, processions etc. with star campaigners.

9. Expense on Public Meeting, Rally, and Processions without Star Campaigners: Out of the 538 MPs analyzed, 531 (99%) MPs have declared that they have spent funds on public meetings, processions etc. Without star campaigners and 6 (1%) MPs have declared that they have not spent any funds on public meetings, processions etc. without star campaigners.

10. Expense on Campaigning through electronic/print media: 418(78%) MPs have declared that they have spent funds on campaigning through electronic/print media and 120 (22%) MPs have declared that they have not spent any funds on campaigning through electronic/print media.

11. Expense on Campaign Workers: 460(86%) MPs have declared that they have spent funds on campaign workers and 78 (14%) MPs have declared that they have not spent any funds on campaign workers.

12. Expense on Campaign Materials: 453(84%) MPs have declared that they have spent funds on campaign materials and 85(16%) MPs have declared that they have not spent any funds on campaign materials.

13. Expense on Campaign Vehicles: 534(99%) MPs have declared that they have spent funds on campaign vehicles and 4(1%) MPs have declared that they have not spent funds on campaign vehicles.

14. Expense on Publishing of Declaration Regarding Criminal Cases: 128(24%) MPs have declared that they have spent funds on publishing of declaration regarding criminal cases and 410(76%) MPs have declared that they have not spent funds on publishing of declaration regarding criminal cases.

Figure: Break Down of Elections Expenses Incurred by MPs

Summary and Highlights of Funds Raised by MPs in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections

Figure: Percentage Break-down of Funds Raised by MPs

Percentage break-down of funds received by MPs: Out of the total funds received by MPs, 63% funds were raised from political parties, 18% were raised by MPs themselves and 19% funds were raised from other sources.
MPs Who Raised Funds from Political Parties: Out of the 538 MPs analyzed, 444 (83%) MPs have declared that they have received funds from political parties and 94 (17%) MPs have declared that they have not received any funds from political parties.
MPs Who Raised Funds through any person/ company/ firm/ associations/ body of persons etc as loan, gift or donation etc: Out of the 538 MPs analyzed, 306 (57%) MPs have declared that they have received funds from any person/ company/ firm/ associations/ body of persons etc as loan, gift or donation etc. and 232(43%) MPs have declared that they have not received any funds from any person/ company/ firm/ associations/ body of persons etc as loan, gift or donation etc.
Self-funds used for election campaign: Out of the 538 MPs analyzed, 490(91%) MPs have declared that they have used their own funds for their election campaign and 48(9%) MPs have declared that they have not used any of their own funds for their election campaign
Average funds raised from Political Parties (Party-wise): On an average a MP from BJP raised 73.57% of his/her election expense funds from the political party. Similarly, a MP from INC raised 56.88% of his/her election expense funds from the political party, an DMK MP raised 85.23%, a AITC MP raised 46.57%, a YSRCP MP raised only 1.46%, a SHS MP raised 47.80% and an JD(U) MP raised 67.66% of their election expense funds from the political party.
Average funds raised through any person/company/firm/associations/body of persons etc as loan, gift or donation etc (Party-wise): On an average a MP from BJP raised 12.52% of his/her election expense funds from any person/company/firm/associations/body of persons etc as loan, gift or donation. Similarly, a MP from INC raised 30.04% of his/her election expense funds from any person/ company/ firm/ associations/ body of persons etc as loan, gift or donation, an DMK MP raised 7.72%, a AITC MP raised 36.87%, an YSRCP MP raised 31.32%, 1 SHS MP raised 27.60% and a JD(U) MP raised 15.64% of their election expense funds from any person/ company/ firm/ associations/ body of persons etc as loan, gift or donation.
Average self-funds used (Party-wise): On an average a MP from BJP raised 14.28% of his/her election expense funds from their own self funds. Similarly, a MP from INC raised 13.17% of his/her election expense funds from their own self funds, a DMK MP raised 7.04%, a AITC MP raised 16.55%, a YSRCP MP raised 67.10%, a SHS MP raised 24.58% and a JD(U) MP raised 16.69% of their election expense funds from their own self funds.