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Ahead of assembly elections in five states, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has increased the expenditure limits for candidates, contesting in Lok Sabha and Legislative assembly polls. The election commission has hiked the poll expenditure limit up to ₹95 lakh for the Lok Sabha elections. Earlier, a candidate was allowed to spend up to ₹70 lakh. For the state assembly elections, the expenditure limit has been enhanced to ₹40 lakh from ₹28 lakh.
According to the Election Commission of India, the revision in the expenditure has come due to the rise in the cost inflation index and the size of the electorate. The new expenditure limits will be applicable for candidates contesting in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur.
The last major revision in the election expenditure limit for candidates was carried out in 2014, which was further increased by 10% in 2020, the ECI said in a statement.
The latest expenditure revision for the Lok Sabha elections for bigger states has been raised by 35%--from ₹70 lakh to ₹90 lakh. On the other hand, for small states, the revised expenditure limit increased by 38%--from ₹54 lakh to ₹65 lakh.
In the case of states assembly election, the revised poll expenditure limit for candidates will now be ₹40 lakh for the large states, up 42% from ₹28 lakh. Whereas, candidates in smaller states will be able to spend a maximum of ₹28 lakh--40% higher than the previous limit of ₹20 lakh.
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