Election expenditure: India
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2011: West Bengal assembly elections
The Times of India, June 26, 2011
Cong spend in Bengal poll highest
With average expenditure of 7L, CPM budget the lowest: Study
The 2011 assembly elections in West Bengal saw the CPM having the lowest average poll expense followed by Trinamool Congress. The average spending by the Congress candidates was the highest at 64.7%.
Smita Bakshi of Trinamool, a candidate from Jorasanko constitutency in West Bengal, made the highest expenditure of Rs 15.65 lakh against the Election Commission’s limit of Rs 16 lakh. Even the lowest expenditure was by Trinamool’s Namita Saha from Magrahat Purba constituency. Hamidul Rahaman, an independent candidate from Chopra constituency, spent Rs 15.21 lakh, the highest by an independent in the state.
Detailed analysis released by ADR-Election Watch on Saturday shows that the average money spent by 217 newly elected MLAs of West Bengal was only Rs 7 lakh, 44% of the expense limit of Rs 16 lakh.
Only six MLAs have declared that they spent more than 80% of the amount. A total of 147 MLAs have declared election expenses less than Rs 8 lakh. Out of 217 MLAs analysed, three declared that they did not spend any money on public meetings, processions, etc. As for expense on campaigning through electronic or print media, 163 MLAs declared they did not spend any amount, while 26 MLAs spent less than Rs 10,000.
In Kerala also, the expenditure by ruling CPM candidates was 50.8%. Congress candidates spent 62.8% of the limit while Muslim League candidates spent 65.9% and those of the Kerala Congress (M) 69.8%.
Only four MLAs declared that they spent more than 80% of the limit of Rs 16 lakh. The maximum expense of Rs 15.26 lakh was declared by Basheer of Muslim League from Eranad constituency in Kerala, followed by Kunhalikutty of Muslim League from Vengara (Rs 13.99 lakh) and B Sathyan of CPM from Attingal constituency (Rs 13.8 lakh).
The minimum expense of Rs 2.49 lakh has been declared by K Kunhiraman of CPM from Udma constituency followed by Jayalakshmi of Congress from Mananthavady with an expense of about Rs 4 lakh and K K Jayachandran of CPM from Udumbanchola with an expenditure of Rs 4.5 lakh. In Kerala, 54 MLAs declared that they did not spend any money on campaigning through electronic or print media.
In Assam, the average money spent by MLAs was only Rs 9 lakh, about 56% of the expense limit of Rs 16 lakh. The average expenditure of Congress’s 78 MLAs was Rs 10.12 lakh, Rs 8.26 lakh for 12 MLAs of Bodo People’s Front, Rs 7.45 lakh for Asom Gana Parishadand Rs 6.36 lakh for All India United Democratic Front’s 18 MLAs .
The maximum expense of Rs 15.99 lakh was delared by Abu Taher Bepari of Congress followed by Monika Bora and Nazrul Islam, both of Congress. The minimum expense of Rs 1.73 lakh was declared by Abul Kalam Azad of AIUDF followed by party colleague Moinuddin Ahmed who spent Rs 2.12 lakh.
