Keep a close eye on candidates’ expenditure: Expenditure Observers

Ludhiana, May 8, 2024: The Expenditure Observers for Ludhiana Parliamentary Constituency Mr. Pankaj Kumar, IRS and Mr Chetan D Kalamkar, IRS on Wednesday directed all flying squads, static surveillance, video surveillance, accounting teams and Assistant Expenditure observers to keep a close eye on the expenditure for election publicity and campaigning to be made by the candidates. 

Presiding over a meeting with them in the International Guest House at PAU, the Expenditure Observers asked the teams to submit the reports on the expenses incurred by the candidates on a daily basis. They said that to keep a close tab over the expenditure incurred by the parties and candidates, 126 FSTs, 16 VVT, 42 VSTs, 126 SSTs, 20 Account teams and 20 AEOs and MCMC were working to keep close tab over poll expenditure. They asked the flying squads, static surveillance teams, and others to discharge their duties responsibly to ensure free and fair elections. They also asked for coordination between the officers and the staff who have been appointed to check the expenses. 

Moreover, the shadow registers of the candidates who will be in poll fray, to be compared with the registers maintained by them thrice. The same exercise will be held on May 20, 25 and 30. On these dates, contesting candidates will bring their expenditure registers and another record like cash book, bank voucher and bank statements and will be matvhed with the shadow registers. 

Additional Deputy Commissioner (D) Anmol Singh Dhaliwal said that the expenditure limit set by the Election Commission of India for a candidate in upcoming Lok Sabha elections was Rs 95 lakh. He said that after successful nomination of candidates, any kind of expenditure on electioneering would be booked in the shadow registers of the candidates.