The Haryana State Election Commission has increased the prescribed limit on expenditure to be incurred by the contesting candidates in case of Municipal Councils, Municipal Committees and Municipal Corporations.
State Election Commissioner Rajeev Sharma on Thursday said that the prescribed limit on expenditure has been enhanced from existing `75,000 to `one lakh in case of Municipal Councils, `50,000 to `75,000 in case of Municipal Committees and from `1.75 lakh to `2.10 lakh in case of Municipal Corporation.
Sharma said that it has been directed that the accounts of expenditure to be incurred by the contesting candidates in the Municipal Councils, Municipal Committees or Municipal Corporations would have to be maintained and submitted to the Deputy Commissioners within 30 days of the declaration of the result.
The Deputy Commissioners, in turn, would send report to the Commission as per provision contained in the Haryana Municipal Election Expenditure (Maintenance and submission of Accounts) order, 2006, and Haryana Municipal Corporation Election Expenditure (Maintenance and Submission of Accounts) order 2007.
He said that if candidates fail to submit accounts of expenditure incurred by them for election to Municipal Councils, Municipal Committees or Municipal Corporations within the prescribed time limit, the Commission would declare him to be disqualified for a period of three years from the date of the order.
“Every contesting candidate would either himself or by his authorised election agent will have to keep a separate and correct account of all expenditure in connection with the election between the dates he has been nominated and date of declaration of result both dates inclusive. The total expenditure would not exceed the limit as prescribed,” he made it clear.
The State Election Commissioner said that no particular party or any other association, body or individual would put up any cut-outs, hoardings, wall paintings, buntings, arches, gates, banners, flags, advertisements in newspapers etc without the general or special authority in writing of the candidates whose election is sought to be promoted or procured by such cut-outs, hoardings etc, as expenditure on all such items would be treated as the legitimate expenditure incurred by the contesting candidate.
No contesting candidate or any individual on his behalf would put up any cut-outs, hoardings etc without prior permission of the concerned Government authority, he added.
Commissioner added that any violation by the contesting candidate or his authorised agent or individual to incur any expenditure in excess of the limit mentioned above, will be viewed seriously by the State Election Commission and stringent action shall be taken against him.