EC rejects demand to raise expenditure limit of candidates

The Election Commission today rejected the demand of certain political parties to raise the expenditure limit of candidates contesting assembly polls.
"We have a ceiling laid down which is Rs 28 lakh. Unfortunately, very few winning candidates report expenditure to this limit. They generally report only 40 to 50 per cent (of the limit amount)," Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi told reporters after a day long review of poll preparedness with political leaders and state officials here. "So where is the justification to raise the expenditure amount? They do not even use that much amount. I think the current level is Ok, which we have revised two years ago," Zaidi said.

"One or two political parties had raised this issue at the review meeting," he added.
Asked whether the Assembly polls will be held in April or May, he said the Commission was still at the planning stage. However, he said the election process would be completed before May 30.
"We are in the planning stage. We have to consider large number of factors such as metrological, examinations, festivalsetc. The Commission is still planning and therefore it is not possible to comment whether elections will be held in April or May," he said.
Assembly polls are due in Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry later this year. The ruling Congress in Kerala asked the CEC to hold the polls either in April end or May, while the CPI-M wanted it to be held in April.

On demand for curbing abuse of money and paid news, the CEC said the Commission would work out a robust strategy to check the practice by deploying large number of flying squads, surveillance teams etc.

For checking paid news, a media monitoring Committee would be operationalised without delay so that it is checked effectively.
In this regard, he said the Commission had recommended legal amendments to treat paid news as offence. Anybody indulging in paid news should be subjected to penal action, fine and imprisonment.
"But that amendment is under consideration at the appropriate level," he said.