The Election Commission has sought clarification from candidates who did not disclose the details of their expenses incurred in the local elections held in May 13 earlier this year.
A total of 115,131 candidates have not submitted the details of election expenses yet. As per the election rule, they are required to submit their expenditure statement within 30 days of the announcement of the election results. The EC has sought clarification from a total of 123,083 candidates including 8,652 who submitted the details of election expenses after the deadline expired.
The candidates in question have been asked to provide their clarification within the next seven days. It may be noted that 145,013 candidates had participated in the election.
A total of 21,230 candidates have duly submitted the details of election expenses within the timeline as specified in Section 31 (4) of the Election (Offence and Punishment) Act, 2016.
A political party or candidate who spends more than the maximum limit in the election or fails to submit the expenditure statement within the specified period may be fined an amount equal to the election expenses incurred by him or the limit of expenses determined by the commission, whichever is higher. The political party or candidate who fails to pay the specified penalty within six months may be banned from participating in any election or declared ineligible to be a candidate for a maximum period of six years with immediate effect. (RSS)
