The total expenditure on elections in 2024 was almost double that of 2019. The total expenditure in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was 55 to 60 thousand crores.The total election expenditure in 2024 is estimated to be around Rs 1.35 lakh crore.
New Delhi. The two-month-long Lok Sabha Election 2024 is over and has also decided the new government. Apart from the surprising results, this election was very special in many ways. The biggest thing is that India’s Lok Sabha election has become the most expensive election in the world. You can guess this from the fact that the total expenditure on elections in the year 2024 has more than doubled compared to 2019. So much so that the expenditure of the recent election in America also faded in front of it and India has become the country conducting the most expensive elections.
The Centre for Media Studies, a non-profit organization that has been issuing reports on election expenditure for 35 years, has estimated that around Rs 1.35 lakh crore has been spent in the Lok Sabha elections this time. The total expenditure in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was Rs 55 to 60 thousand crores. In this way, more than double the money has been spent in the elections this time. The US also spent around Rs 1.20 lakh crore in the presidential election held in the year 2020. In this sense, India’s Lok Sabha election has become more expensive than America.
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The expenditure of these 3 parties alone is Rs 1 lakh crore
The Center for Media Studies claims that in this Lok Sabha election, the expenditure of only 3 political parties, BJP, Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP), has reached Rs 1 lakh crore. This figure is about one and a half times more than the total expenditure of the last election. At the same time, the total election expenditure is estimated to be around 1.35 lakh crore. About 45 percent of the total expenditure in the last Lok Sabha election was done by BJP alone. The organization believes that this time this figure can reach even higher.
How much did one vote cost
If we look at the figures of the Election Commission, we find that the number of voters in the country is about 96.6 crores. In this context, the cost of one vote in relation to the total expenditure incurred in the elections will be about Rs 1,400. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the cost of one vote was Rs 700. In this way, the cost of one vote will cover the ration of a middle class family for a month. Bharat rice is Rs 29 per kg and Bharat flour is Rs 27.50 per kg.
… whereas the commission has fixed the limit
The reckless spending of political parties is visible even though the Election Commission has set a spending limit for every candidate. According to the Election Commission, every candidate contesting Lok Sabha elections can spend a maximum of Rs 95 lakh, while the spending limit for assembly elections is a maximum of Rs 40 lakh. In small states like Arunachal Pradesh, this limit has been kept at Rs 75 lakh for MPs and Rs 28 lakh for MLAs.
Expenditure has increased 300 times since independence
In the first Lok Sabha elections held in 1951-52 after India’s independence, the limit of election expenditure for each candidate was just Rs 25,000. Till now it has increased 300 times to Rs 75-90 lakh. In the year 1998, the expenditure of Lok Sabha elections was Rs 9 thousand crore, which is estimated to reach Rs 60 thousand crore in 2019 and this time it is estimated to reach Rs 1.35 lakh crore.
Tags: 2020 united states election, 2024 Lok Sabha Election, Business news, List of most expensive
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 6, 2024, 12:20 IST