The Hindu : Observers asked to keep vigil on poll expenses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 21, 2004

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Observers asked to keep vigil on poll expenses

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 20. The Chief Election Commissioner, T.S. Krishnamurthy, today asked all the Expenditure Observers to be deployed in each Lok Sabha constituency and Assembly constituencies in the four States to keep a close vigil on the spending by political parties and candidates to ensure free and fair polls.

Addressing 700 observers, Mr. Krishnaamurthy said considering the large number of poll-related complaints being received by the Commission, they should be firm and perform their duties fearlessly as they were working directly under the Commission. The two Commissioners, B.B. Tandon and N. Gopalaswami also addressed the meeting.

The CEC said the Commission had made it mandatory for the candidates contesting the elections to Lok Sabha and for State Assemblies to show the accounts of poll expenditure to the Observers or Returning Officers once every three days.

The Commission would display them on the notice board in the office of the Returning Officer so as to make the information public. Commission sources said that the decision to make display of election expenses by each candidate mandatory was taken considering the fact that this would be a high profile election with candidates expected to exceed the ceiling in the expenses fixed by the Commission.

The CEC asked the observers to tour their respective constituencies and monitor the expenditure of each candidate in the fray and send periodical reports to the Commission.

Such a watchdog mechanism on poll expenses was expected to put a check on the expenses, sources added.

The Commission would also furnish the information furnished by candidates to the Income Tax Department for necessary action.

The observers were told to watch expenses incurred by political parties and candidates on hiring of vehicles, tents, advertisements, public meetings, and distribution of items like dhotis.

It has been clarified to the observers that only travel expenses of the designated leaders of recognised political parties would not be included in the poll expenses of the candidates and not all expenses.

Guidelines had already been issued in this regard.

This would cover 40 leaders of recognised political parties and 20 leaders of unrecognised but registered parties.

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