Poll expenses capped at Rs 5 lakh in new BBMP election rules

The state government has notified election rules for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the draft for which was issued in November 2021.

The rules cap Rs 5 lakh as the maximum limit for election expenses, accounts for which should be maintained by the candidate or his agent along with bills and other details.

The rules also allow the state election commission to split a ward into one or more parts based on the area to prepare the electoral roll. Those who wish to send postal votes are expected to send it seven days before the election date.

The rules come at a time when the BBMP is carrying out the delimitation exercise. Its Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath told DH: “July 7 is the last date to get the objections. The government will hear the objections and seek the BBMP’s remarks before July 20. It will be published thereafter.”

He said the committee must notify the percentage of reservation, while ward-wise reservation must also be prepared with the voter list before the BBMP gets into election mode. “When the delimitation exercise is over, there will be more representation and more boundaries. We will also have to work towards inducting more officers and bringing in more administrative changes,” Girinath added.

‘Expenditure cap a joke’

A senior BBMP official said: “Election expenditure limit is a joke because everybody knows that candidates overspend. There is no way major parties can stay within the limit. Even the information in the election affidavit is not held to scrutiny. There haven’t been instances of anybody being disqualified for overspending.”

He noted that the delimitation exercise has been done taking the 2011 population census into account.

“Bengaluru has grown since then and the population has increased by 80 per cent. But the wards have only increased by 25 per cent. The delimitation has left unequal ward sizes and will bring in a sense of ward disparity because there has been no scientific approach to the whole exercise,” the official added.