It will cost an average of over ₹2.2 crore to elect an MLA in the forthcoming Assembly elections, as per the Election Commission’s (EC) estimation of expenses for conducting polls later this year. The overall election expenses are likely to be around ₹511 crore.
During the previous Assembly election in 2018, the EC had incurred expenses of around ₹394 crore, an average of ₹1.75 crore each constituency. In 2013, the expenditure was around ₹160 crore at an average of ₹65 lakh per constituency.
“With price rise and inflation, the cost of poll machinery and infrastructure will see a steep rise. The expenses per constituency may vary depending on its size and number of polling stations, but will be more or less over ₹2 crore,” Manoj Kumar Meena, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for Karnataka, told The Hindu on Saturday. “This will apart from expenses that we may incur for any re-election/bypoll, if required,” he said.
The State government had set aside ₹300 crore for poll preparations in the supplementary estimates tabled in December last year during the legislature session in Belagavi. “The remaining ₹ 211 crore will be sanctioned in the coming Budget. Our total demand is around ₹511 crore,” Mr. Meena said.
Poll day expenses
Pointing out that over 45% of the total Budget will be spent on poll day expenses including transportation, the CEO said, “Printing of electoral rolls and EPIC cards apart from conducting voter awareness campaigns, remuneration of polling personnel and election observers will be the other major components. This is expected as the cost of poll-related consumables has steeply increased.” Besides, the voter population and the number of polling stations have also gone up slightly.
“The other major spending will be towards training of personnel, EVM awareness and EVM transportation, expenses on counting day apart from strong room arrangements,” Mr. Meena said.
Security is separate expense
While expenses on the main security arrangements will be borne separately by the State government through the Police Department, around 10% of the total expenditure will be on setting up checkposts with CCTV cameras and mobile squads for various polls related duties, including monitoring expenditure by candidates.
To ensure free and fair elections, web-casting has to be done in all the critical and sensitive polling stations, counting centres and police checkposts where internet connection is feasible and in the remaining videography is done by fixed cameras. The EC is planning extensive awareness drives including demonstration of VVPAT and EVMs.
