Private Member’s bill on Poll Spend Limit discussed in Rajya Sabha

A Private Member’s bill was tabled for discussion in the upper house of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha on Friday, 6th December 2019.

The bill intended to scrap or to do away with the cap of Rs 70 lakh spending of per candidate, as it encourages candidates to under-report their expenditure.

Currently, a candidate contesting Parliamentary election or Lok Sabha election can spend up to Rs 70 lakh and a maximum up to Rs 28 lakh in an assembly election under Rule 90 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. An incorrect account of all expenditures or exceeding the expenditure cap can lead to the disqualification of the candidate for up to three years by the Election Commission of India.

The bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament in the next session.