Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Election FAQs: Who bears the cost of state elections?

Maharashtra is all set to witness exciting scenes amid the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. Polls for the 288-member state assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23. The term of the current assembly will end on November 26. Even as stalemate continues with Maha Vikas Aghadi members debating on seat sharing and Maha Yuti on the verge of finalising names, Raj Thackeray's MNS released its first list of 45 candidates for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls. Amit Thackeray, the son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, will make his electoral debut from Mahim assembly seat in central Mumbai

So on this note, let us understand who bears the costs of the state elections.

How are the costs borne?

To make sure that elections are held in a free and fair manner without the misuse of money and muscle power, the Election Commission of India overlooks, directs and controls Parliamentary as well as Assembly elections in India, including the expenditure incurred in these elections.

The ECI divides election expenditure into two broad categories; one being the legal expenditure which includes campaigns, public meetings, rallies, advertisements and the other is illegal expenditure which are impermissible like bribery, distribution of money and liquor etc.

Hence, as a part of its election expenditure monitoring, the Election Commission requires election expenditure to be truthfully reported by the candidates.

“Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 makes it mandatory for every candidate to the House of the People or a State Legislative Assembly, to keep a separate and correct account of all expenditure incurred or authorized by him or by his election agent, between the date on which he was nominated and the date of declaration of the result of election, both dates inclusive. The total of the said expenditure shall not exceed such amount as may be prescribed under Section 77(3) of R.P. Act, 1951.”

It must also be noted that a failure to maintain this account is an electoral offence.

Moreover, within 30 days of declaration of the results, the contesting candidate must “lodge a true copy of the account of his election expenses with the District Election Officer (DEO).”

The ECI can even disqualify a candidate disqualify a candidate in case the account is found to be incorrect or untrue. Therefore, a candidate is not only required to maintain their election expenditure within the ceiling provided by the law but also maintain an account of the same.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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