In a major decision, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Thursday it is raising the cap on election expenditure for candidates in case of both assembly and parliamentary constituencies. For assembly constituencies, the ceiling has been increased from ₹20 lakh to ₹28 lakh, and ₹28 lakh to ₹40 lakh, in respective states and Union territories.
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Meanwhile, for parliamentary constituencies, the ceiling has been raised from ₹54 lakh to ₹75 lakh, and ₹70 lakh to ₹95 lakh. A press release from the poll panel stated that the new limits will be in effect for all upcoming elections.
Thursday's announcement by the Election Commission comes just days before it is likely to announce the schedule for assembly polls in five states--Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
{{/usCountry}}Thursday's announcement by the Election Commission comes just days before it is likely to announce the schedule for assembly polls in five states--Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
{{/usCountry}}Here are the new limits for candidates in states and UTs:
(1.) ₹95 lakh (parliamentary constituency) and ₹40 lakh (assembly constituency: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi (UT), Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
(2.) ₹95 lakh and ₹28 lakh: Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
(3.) ₹75 lakh and ₹28 lakh: Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Puducherry (UT) and Sikkim.
The UTs of Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, and Ladakh have only parliamentary constituencies. After the revision, candidates here can spend a maximum of ₹75 lakh.