For all the noise and dust political parties raised in Karnataka during the election, their candidates have claimed modesty in poll expenditure, with none coming close to the Rs 70-lakh limit set by the Election Commission.
Pundits have, time and again, expressed surprise over the expenditure details that candidates show, because it is common knowledge that cash flows like water during elections. Sample this: seizure of cash, liquor and other goodies jumped 134% this election from the 2014 polls.
According to the publicly available poll expenditure details that DH analysed, BJP’s Y Devendrappa claimed to have spent only Rs 4.64 lakh and Congress’ V S Ugrappa Rs 6.58 lakh during their campaign in the Bellary Lok Sabha segment. The highest expenditure was incurred by Congress’ D R Patil in the Haveri LS segment at Rs 59.8 lakh.
Even in the high-profile Mandya constituency, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil spent Rs 39 lakh and his opponent Sumalatha (independent) spent Rs 33 lakh.
“The expenditure limit of Rs 70 lakh won’t be enough for even fuel and breakfast,” political analyst S Mahadeva Prakash said. “What candidates show as expenditure is bogus.”
Election laws require candidates to maintain a day-to-day account of their campaign expenses. These details are to be made public.
Many candidates have now been issued notices for ‘understating’ their expenditure. This includes H D Deve Gowda, who has shown an expenditure of Rs 36 lakh whereas the shadow observation register (SOR) maintained by the Election Commission has recorded Rs 56 lakh.
Even Sumalatha has been issued a notice for ‘understating’ her expenditure, Mandya DC P C Jaffer said. “The SOR is something that we have to track expenses of candidates as we know or find it. There will be disputes most of the time,” he said.
The highest ‘understating’ of expenditure has been seen in the Bagalkot Lok Sabha segment where BJP’s P C Gaddigoudar is seen to have spent Rs 69 lakh against his claim of Rs 26 lakh.