Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer (DEO) Akash Bansal has directed candidates contesting Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat elections to strictly adhere to the election expenditure limits prescribed by the Punjab State Election Commission.
The District Election Officer stated that the commission has fixed expenditure limits for all candidates and has also issued necessary instructions regarding the maintenance and submission of election expense records. He clarified that every candidate must ensure that election-related spending remains within the limits prescribed by the commission under all circumstances.
According to the notified rules, candidates contesting Municipal Corporation elections can spend a maximum of Rs 4 lakh. For Municipal Council elections, the expenditure limit has been fixed at Rs 3.60 lakh for Class-I councils, Rs 2.90 lakh for Class-II councils and Rs 2 lakh for Class-III councils. Meanwhile, candidates contesting Nagar Panchayat elections have been allowed a maximum expenditure limit of Rs 1.40 lakh.
DC Akash Bansal further stated that maintaining a proper and complete record of election expenses is mandatory for every candidate. He said the expenditure records must be verified by audit teams constituted by the district administration.
As per the Punjab State Election Commission rules, every candidate is required to submit a detailed statement of election expenditure through the concerned District Election Officer within 30 days from the declaration of election results. He added that even candidates who have not incurred any expenditure will still be required to submit a ‘Nil’ return.
The District Election Officer also clarified that confiscated security deposits must also be reflected in the expenditure account. In cases where a candidate contests elections from more than one constituency, separate expenditure returns must be filed for each election area.
Issuing a stern warning, Akash Bansal said that under Section 171-I of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), legal action and penalties can be imposed against candidates who fail to maintain proper accounts of election expenses or violate the prescribed expenditure limits.
