Ministry opposes state funding of poll

The Ministry of Law and Justice has opposed a demand from a section of society for full state funding of elections to prevent candidates from using money power, citing “economic and financial scenario”.

However, the ministry is in favour of  state funding only for poor women candidates from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes nominated by only national level or state level party to begin with.

As per the cabinet note put up by the ministry on state funding issue, “ the state funding can be considered only for SC, ST and other backward classes women candidates having an annual income less than Rs 5 lakh with a stipulation that she does not have movable or immovable property in value of more than Rs 22 lakh.”

The note said the income and assets of both spouses would be calculated and taken together to determine the eligibility. While exact modality of funding and its expenditure would be worked out in consultation with the Election Commission and Finance Ministry, both states and Centre can share the expenditure of the funding on 50:50 basis,” says the note.

The ministry, which is working on amending the Representation of People Act to prevent criminals from contesting elections as well as stop pumping of black money, will also take up the issue of state funding of women SC/ST candidate in the Cabinet.

The issue is likely to come up before the Cabinet  soon before forwarding it to Parliament for its approval, sources in the Ministry told Deccan Herald. The issue of state funding of elections has been pending since long as the government as well as the Election Commission failed to take any decision owing to lack of consensus either at government level or among political parties.

A multi-party parliamentary committee under the chairmanship of Indrajit Gupta of the Communist Party of India (CPI) , constituted to study this issue in 1999, had recommended the creation of separate election fund for which the Centre may contribute at the rate of Rs 10 per elector (about Rs 600 crore) annually.

The state governments taken together can contribute proportionately Rs 600 crore per annum to the fund, it had said.

No consensus
Later, in 2006, when the poll panel held a meeting of all the recognised political parties and representatives of the state governments, it failed to reach a consensus as the states refused to give their share of amount and they wanted the entire amount for funding to be borne by the Central government.

Subsequently, the Election Commission again wrote to the Law Ministry asking it to take proper decision in a bid to cleanse the present electoral system.