Pune: The assembly election has already cost the state exchequer Rs432 crore. Each assembly constituency had earlier received an allocation of Rs1.5 crore for poll expenses, the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) confirmed. It said the amount is expected to rise.
The funds were distributed in Oct to district administrations, based on the number of assembly constituencies under their limits. District election officials (DEOs) were directed to approach the CEO’s office for any additional funding requirements. It is expected the DEOs will approach the state govt for more funds. Several DEOs said many bills are yet to come, and it will take time for the state to clear the funds
This year’s state budget earmarked Rs 1,500 crore for the assembly poll — a 66% jump from the previous (2019) assembly election’s allocation of Rs900 crore. The 2014 provision was Rs421 crore. From 2014 to 2019, an almost 100% rise was seen in allocation.
“The increased allocations also became necessary due to higher stipends for booth-level officers conducting door-to-door visits, besides an increase in polling booths and additional manpower requirements,” a poll official told TOI. In 2019, the number of electors in the state was 8.9 crore, which shot up to nearly 9.7 crore for this year’s assembly poll. —Nisha Nambiar