Maharashtra State Election Commission has made a major revision in the expenditure limit of candidates for local body elections after eight years. The Commission on Thursday announced that candidates in A-class municipal corporations like Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur will now be able to spend a maximum of Rs 15 lakh. This amendment has been made in view of the upcoming civic elections.
According to the State Election Commission, Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur which fall in the A-Class category. The election expenditure limit of the candidates there has been fixed at Rs 15 lakh. Whereas for B-class municipal corporations like Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik and Thane, this limit has been fixed at Rs 13 lakh.
Separate limits for these municipal corporations
Candidates in C-class municipal corporations like Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Vasai-Virar will now be able to spend up to Rs 11 lakh. Additionally, a limit of Rs 9 lakh has been fixed for the remaining 19 D-class municipal corporations. According to the Commission, this amendment has been made for the first time since 2017.
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New limit for city councils and panchayats also
The Commission has also set a new expenditure limit for Municipal Councils and Panchayats. In A-Class Municipal Council, the limit of expenditure has been kept at Rs 15 lakh for the post of President and Rs 5 lakh for the member. In B-class municipal councils this limit is Rs 11.25 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh respectively, while in C-class municipal councils the expenditure allowed is Rs 7.5 lakh for the chairman and Rs 2.5 lakh for the member.
New system for Gram Panchayat
According to the Election Commission, in areas having 71 to 75 seats in District Councils, the expenditure limit for the post of member has been kept at Rs 9 lakh, while for Panchayat Samiti member, it has been fixed at Rs 6 lakh. In Zilla Parishads where there are 61 to 70 seats, there will be a limit of Rs 7.5 lakh for the post of member and Rs 5.25 lakh for Panchayat Samiti.
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Clear guidelines have also been issued for Gram Panchayats. In Panchayats which have seven to nine members, expenditure of Rs 75 thousand is allowed for the election of Sarpanch and Rs 40 thousand for the member. Whereas, in Panchayats with 11 to 13 members, the Sarpanch can spend up to Rs 1.5 lakh and the members can spend up to Rs 55 thousand. For 15 to 17 member Panchayats, the limit for Sarpanch has been kept at Rs 2.65 lakh and for members at Rs 75 thousand.
The State Election Commission says that this amendment has been done to keep in mind the rising inflation and to maintain transparency in the electoral processes. The Commission clarified that it will be mandatory for all candidates to follow this new limit.
