PRESS RELEASE 4th March, 2014
The government
cleared a proposal of the Election Commission recently to raise the expenditure
limits for Lok Sabha elections from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 70 lakh for each Lok Sabha
constituency in bigger states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
West Bengal and Karnataka etc, and from Rs 22 lakh in smaller states like Goa
to Rs 54 lakh on par with other hilly and north eastern states. The Government also cleared the proposal to raise expenditure limits for assembly elections, with a
maximum of Rs 28 lakh and a minimum of Rs 20 lakh in North Eastern and hill
states.
While this move was
welcomed by the political parties, the following report which analyses the
expenditure statements declared by the MPs in the Lok Sabha Elections, 2009,
shows that on an average the MPs declared an election expenditure of Rs. 14.62
Lakhs i.e. about 59% of the average expense limit in 2009.
Even in the
recent five assembly elections, an analysis of the expenditure statements of
the MLAs in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh shows that
on an average, MLAs declare an expenditure that is far lower than the limit set,
at 50% of the expense limit. In Delhi, MLAs declared an average expenditure of
about 51% of the expense limit, in Chhattisgarh 53%, in Madhya Pradesh 48%, in
Rajasthan 46% and in Mizoram 55%.
According to Professor Trilochan Sastry
(Founder, Association for Democratic Reforms), “Raising the ceiling does not
address the real issues. First, we need a level playing ground so that any
public minded citizen with a desire for public service should be able to
contest elections and not be at a disadvantage. Raising the ceiling has no
impact on that. Second, we need more transparency in the funding and source of
funding, along with penalties for not being transparent. This is also not
addressed.Third, we need penalties for crossing the new limit of Rs.70 lakhs.
This is also not taken care of. Finally, everyone knows about the huge amount
of black money in elections. Gopinath Munde said he spent more than Rs. 8
crores. We need to curb this blatant misuse of black money in elections. In
summary, none of the major concerns are addressed by the Cabinet decision to
raise the ceiling.”
National Election Watch (NEW) and Association for
Democratic Reforms (ADR) have analyzed the election expense statements
submitted after the Lok Sabha Elections of 2009 for 437 MPs. The remaining
expenditure statements of the rest of the MPs was not analysed due to the
unavailability of the statements at the time of the making of this report. These election
expense documents include details of
expenses on public meeting and processions, campaigning through electronic and
print media, expense on campaign workers, expense on vehicles used and expense
on campaign materials. Detailed report in English is attached with the mail.
1.
Less than 50% of the Limit: Candidates have constantly claimed that the
election expenditure limit set is very low. However, based on the election expense declarations of 437 MPs analysed from
Lok Sabha, 2009 to the ECI, 129 MPs (30%)
have declared election expenses of less than 50% of the expense limit in
their constituency.
2.
Average
Election Expenses: Based on the
election expense declarations of 437 MPs from Lok Sabha 2009 to the ECI, the average amount of money spent by them
in the elections is only about Rs 14.62 Lakhs, which
is 59% of the expense limit.
3. Election Expenses funded by Political Parties:
317 MPs (73%) declared
that in the expenditure incurred by them, none
of it was funded by the political party which fielded him/her. 120 MPs (27%) declared that a part of their election expenditure was funded
by the political party and out of these, 15
MPs (3%) declared that all of their expenditure was funded by the
political party which fielded him/her.
4.
Party-wise Election Expenses funded by Political Parties- Among the MPs who were funded (partially or
fully) by political parties, 35 MPs from BJP had declared an average funding from the political party of Rs. 5.08 Lakhs (36% of their average
election expenditure). 30 MPs
from INC have declared an average
funding from the political party of Rs.
5.61 Lakhs (36% of their average election expenditure).
5.
Expenditure more than the Expense Limit: Two MPs declared election expenditure more
than the prescribed expense limit. Premdas
of SP from Etawah Constituency,
Uttar Pradesh declared an election expenditure of Rs. 57.39 Lakhs (230% of the expense limit) and Akhilesh Yadav of SP from Kannauj Constituency, Uttar Pradesh, with expenses of Rs. 26.73 Lakhs (107% of the expense limit).
6. State-wise Average Election Expenses - The highest average election expenditure declared
in a state is Tripura (2 Lok Sabha
Constituencies analysed) with an average election expenditure of Rs. 18.79 Lakhs (75% of the expense
limit) followed by Jharkhand (7 Lok
Sabha Constituencies analysed) with an average election expenditure of Rs. 18.73 Lakhs (75% of expense limit),
Uttarakhand (5 Lok Sabha
Constituencies analysed) with an average election expenditure of Rs. 18.49 Lakhs (74% of expense limit)
and Assam (14 Lok Sabha
Constituencies analysed) with an average election expenditure of Rs. 17.77 Lakhs (71% of expense limit).
7. Party-wise Average Election Expenses: The party
wise average election expenses shows that the average spending for 161 MPs of INC is
Rs 14.38
lakhs (59% of the average expense limit), for 91 MPs of BJP is
Rs 14.43 lakhs (59% of the average expense limit), for 21 MPs of SP is 19.48
Lakhs (78% of the average expense limit) and for 19 MPs of BSP is Rs. 14.72 Lakhs (59% of the average expense limit).
8. Top 3 MPs
with highest Election Expenses: The maximum expense of about Rs
57.39 Lakhs (230% of the expense limit) has been declared by Premdas of SP from Etawah constituency,
Uttar Pradesh followed by Akhilesh Yadav
of SP from Kannauj constituency, Uttar Pradesh with an expense of Rs 26.73 lakhs (or 107% of the
expense limit) and Yashbanta Narayan
Singh Laguri of BJD from
Keonjhar constituency, Orissa with an expense of Rs 24.97 Lakhs (or 100% of the expense limit)
9. MPs with
lowest Election Expenses: The minimum
expense of about Rs 1.31 Lakhs (or 5% of the expense limit) has been declared by C.M.
Chang of
NPF from Nagaland constituency. He is followed by Ravneet Singh of INC from Anandpur Sahib constituency, Punjab with election
expenses of about Rs. 1.75 lakhs (or 7% of the expense limit) and Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed A.B. of INC from Lakshwadeep constituency with expenses of Rs. 2.02 lakhs (or 20% of the expense limit).
10. Expense on Public Meetings and Processions: Out of the 437 MPs analyzed, 33 (8%) MPs have declared that
they have not spent ANY amount on public meetings, processions etc.
11. Expense on Campaigning through electronic/print
media: 123 (28%) MPs have declared that they have not spent ANY amount on campaigning
through electronic/print media.
12. Expense on Campaign Workers: 418 (96%) MPs have
declared that they have not spent ANY
amount on campaign workers.
13. Expense on Vehicles used: 22 (5%) MPs have declared that they have not spent ANY amount on Vehicles Used.
14. Expense on Campaign Materials and Erection of
gates, arches, banners etc.: 21 (5%) MPs have declared that they have not spent ANY amount on Campaign Materials and
erection of gates, arches, banners etc.
--
Association for Democratic Reforms
“Kiwanis Centre”, 4th Floor,
B-35, Qutub Institutional Area
(Near Rockland Hospital)
New Delhi-110 016
T: +91 11 41654200/01/02/03
F: 011 4609 4248
