May 6, 2009 1:04:58 am
The returning officer of the New Delhi constituency has forwarded a complaint of excessive campaign expenditure against Congresss Ajay Maken and BJPs Vijay Goel to the Delhi Election office.
According to the complaint filed by the Youth for Equality (YFE),which has also fielded a candidate from the constituency,both Maken and Goel have spent more than the amount stipulated by the Election Commission for poll campaigning. The organisation has alleged that the two candidates have spent a total of more than Rs 25 lakh on campaigning through hoardings on DTC bus-shelters and municipal public convenience blocks. While candidates have to submit a weekly update on the amount spent on campaigning,members of YFE claim the amount the candidates mention is way below the actual amount spent considering the number of hoardings set up. Returning Officer D K Mishra has also asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to submit a report on the expenditure incurred by the candidates according to the hoarding space hired.
They have about 50 hoardings,and at least 40 of them are on municipal toilets. The total expenditure adds up to more than Rs 25 lakh, said YFE Secretary Jiten Jain.
Meanwhile,Mishra said he has forwarded the complaint to the municipal agencies and the election office but is yet to receive a directive on the same.
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