Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Notices to two Beed candidates over irregularities in election expenses

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Election authorities have issued notice to Beed BJP candidate Pankaja Munde and NCP (SP) candidate Bajrang Sonavane over irregularities in their election expenditures, officials said.

Munde and Sonavane are contesting Lok Sabha polls from Maharashtra's Beed constituency, which will go to polls on May 13.

BJP's Beed candidate had provided a figure of Rs 2,73,038 as her election expenses from April 24 to May 2. However, according to the records with the expenditure inspector, the expenditure made by her in this period amounted to Rs 8,68,101, an election official said on Monday.

Irregularities of Rs 5,95,063 were found in her expenditure, the official added.

The expenditure shown by Sonavane during April 22 to May 2 is Rs 3,53,165. But the records of expenditure inspector show his expenses during this period as Rs 8,84,459, amounting to irregularities of Rs 5,31,294, the official said.

According to Section 77 of The Representation Of The People Act, 1951, every candidate should provide the correct account of their expenditures from the date of filing nomination to the date of results, the official said.

Notices were issued to Munde and Sonavane over their expenditures on Monday. Both of them have been given 48 hours to submit responses to the notices and legal action will be taken if they fail to do so, District Election Officer and Collector Deepa Mudhol Munde said in a press note.

The election authorities have also issued notices to another seven Lok Sabha candidates who did not present their expenditure records by May 4.

These seven candidates -- Karuna Dhananjay Munde, Sheshrao Veer, Gokul Sawase, Prakash Bhagwan Solanke, Rajendra Hoke, Shaikh Tausif Abdul Sattar, and Shaikh Ejaz -- have been directed to present their expenditure records in 48 hours, the official said.