Concerns with election expenditure in India – We need limits on election campaign spending

Source: The post concerns with election expenditure in India has been created, based on the article “We need limits on election campaign spending” published in “The Hindu” on 11th March 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 – Indian Polity – Representatives of People Act

News: The article discusses the high cost of elections in India. It talks about the government and political parties spending a lot on advertising and other campaign activities, which can be unfair. The article suggests reforms to make elections more equal and transparent.

What is the current status of election expenditure in India?

Government Ad Spending: The central government spent ₹3,020 crore on advertisements from 2018-19 to 2022-23, with a spike in election years, like ₹1,179 crore in 2018-19.

Candidate Expenditure Limits: ₹95 lakh per Lok Sabha constituency in larger states, ₹75 lakh in smaller states. However, these limits are often exceeded.

Party Spending: No limit for political parties. In the 2019 elections, BJP spent ₹1,264 crore, Congress ₹820 crore. Estimated total spending by parties was around ₹50,000 crore.

What are the concerns with election expenditure in India?

Lack of Spending Caps for Parties: While candidates have specific spending limits, there are no caps for political parties. This leads to excessive spending, as seen in the 2019 elections where political parties reportedly spent around ₹50,000 crore.

Influence of Money on Fairness: The large amount of money spent, particularly by major parties like BJP and Congress, raises concerns about the fairness of elections.

Illegal Practices and Opacity: Apart from legal expenditures, the distribution of cash to voters and opaque funding sources contribute to corrupt electoral practices, undermining the democratic process.

For information on Issues in Electoral Funding in India read here

What should be done about it?

According to the “Proposed Electoral Reforms” submitted by the Election Commission of India in 2016, the key suggestions included:

Ban Pre-Election Government Ads: Introduce a ban on government advertisements six months before elections to prevent misuse of public funds for political gains.

Equalize Party and Candidate Spending Limits: Amend laws to include a spending cap for political parties, similar to the limits for individual candidates (₹95 lakh in larger states, ₹75 lakh in smaller states).

Transparent Party Financing: Implement measures for greater transparency in party financing to reduce the influence of undisclosed donations and corporate funding.

Swift Legal Action on Violations: Appoint additional judges in High Courts for quick resolution of election-related cases, creating a deterrent against overspending and other violations.

Explore State Funding of Elections: Consider state funding of elections, as suggested by the Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998) and the Law Commission report (1999), to reduce dependence on private donations.

For more information on State Funding of Election read here

Question for practice:

Examine the key concerns surrounding election expenditure in India and the proposed reforms suggested to address these issues.