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Poll funding: All-party meet fails to decide
The main opposition BJP differed with Congress on the issue of fixing the limits of expenditure by candidates.
An all-party meeting on state funding of elections on Wednesday failed to evolve consensus with major outside supporters CPI(M) terming it a "mockery".
The main opposition BJP differed with Congress on the issue of fixing the limits of expenditure by candidates.
The political parties were speaking in different voices on Centre's proposal based on the recommendations of the Indrajit Gupta Committee report.
"We are not in favour of the proposal in the present form", CPI(M)leader Nilotpal Basu said.
Basu further added that the partial funding will only act as a subsidy to those political parties which were actually spending huge money.
The move will ultimately be a "drag" on the exchequer.
The CPI leader D Raja, however, said that it was a good proposal and the state funding should fall within the present limit of Rs 25 lakh for a Lok Sabha seat and Rs 10 lakh for an assembly seat.
On the issue of fixing the limit of expenditure of candidates, Congress favoured that the parties should be allowed to spend more on the candidates.
However, BJP opposed the Congress suggestion saying that there should be a level-playing field.
