Punjab polls: Stayed within ₹40-lakh expenditure limit, claim Mohali candidates

In fact, according to submissions made with the district electoral officer, the amount spent by any of the 40 candidates in fray from Mohali did not cross ₹23 lakh

The poll expenditure by any party in any of the Mohali’s three assembly constituencies did not cross the ₹40-lakh limit, if their candidates are to be believed.

Polling for the Punjab polls was held on February 20 after weeks of campaigning. (HT File Photo)

In fact, according to submissions made with the district electoral officer, the amount spent by any of the 40 candidates in fray did not cross ₹23 lakh.

As per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, this year, the poll expenditure limit was increased from ₹28 lakh to ₹40 lakh.

But since the election date was announced on January 8, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, candidates were only allowed to hold door-to-door campaigning and election meetings for several weeks until some relaxations were allowed for road shows and rallies.

In all, the 40 candidates in the three constituencies claim to have spent ₹2.75 crore on campaigning, with Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Dera Bassi candidate Kuljeet Randhawa listing the highest expenses at ₹23.17 lakh.

Among the major parties, the biggest bill was of ₹60 lakh, shown by the Congress, with its Mohali candidate Balbir Singh Sidhu’s expenses worth ₹22.21 lakh topping the chart, followed by Vijay Sharma Tinku (Kharar), who spent ₹19.17 lakh and Deepinder Singh Dhillon (Dera Bassi) with a spending of ₹18.75 lakh.

Real estate baron and AAP’S Mohali candidate Kulwant Singh, who is the richest candidate in Punjab, says he spent ₹22.84 lakh on campaigning, while the party’s face in Dera Bassi Kuljeet Randhawa spent ₹23.17 lakh.

From the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Dera Bassi candidate NK Sharma led the tally with expenses worth ₹22.86 lakh, followed by Kharar candidate Ranjit Singh Gill, who showed a spending of ₹18.39 lakh.

Among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates, the highest spender was Sanjeev Khanna, who says he shelled out ₹14.84 lakh on campaigning in Dera Bassi.

On the independent candidates’ end, the expenses submitted ranged between ₹10,000 and ₹6 lakh.

As per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, this year, the poll expenditure limit was increased from ₹28 lakh to ₹40 lakh. (HT)

Congress’ media in-charge Sanjeev Garg said the amount was mostly spent on hoardings, LED vans and mobile vans. “Also, in view of stricter curbs on physical rallies due to Covid-19, most of the candidates spent money on digital and mass media campaigns,” he said.