While elections often entail heavy expenses, the official submission of expenditure made by political parties to civic election offices in the recently concluded elections of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) seems to belie this notion. The BJP, that came to power for the first time in PMC by winning 98 of all the 162 seats it contested in civic polls, has had a total spending of Rs 1.83 crore, which comes out to be Rs 1,13,557 per candidate for election campaign, according to the submission. Its arch rival NCP that failed to retain power has stated that it had an expenditure of Rs 1.61 crore for 130 seats it contested — approximately Rs 1,24,255 per candidate. If this was hard to believe, then the Shiv Sena has furnished the election expenditure of Rs 17.30 lakh, which is 11,090 per candidate, while the total expenditure of Raj Thackeray-led MNS was mere Rs 2,00,100, with the meagre Rs 1,627 per candidate. However, the MNS informed that the expenditure it has submitted was for the city unit and the expenditure by the central party office in Mumbai would be submitted to the election commission. In the submission made by the party, city BJP chief Yogesh Gogawale said that the information on election expenditure furnished by the party was true. “If the election office finds anything wrong in the information furnished, then they should listen to the party stand before taking any decision on it,” he said. Both NCP and BJP also added that they were not involved in any paid news. Incidentally, the NCP as well as BJP had carried out the election campaign through social networking sites, video clippings on LED screens, along with conventional methods of election rallies and manifesto. Both the parties came out with two election manifestos during the PMC elections and had taken on rent a separate place for election office other than city unit office. “The BJP, NCP, Shiv Sena and MNS have submitted their election expenditure as it was to be done within 60 days of the declaration of results. Some political parties have conveyed that they have submitted the election expenditure directly to the election commission,” said PMC election officer Satish Kulkarni. “As per the provisions of law, the political parties have to submit the expenditure to the election office and they have done it. The major political parties have done it,” said Tushar Daundkar, in-charge of the cell for compiling election expenditure during the PMC elections. He said that the election department can only serve notice to the political parties and candidates who fail to submit the expenditure and communicate the same to the election commission for further action. “We would be forwarding the information furnished by the political parties to the election commission,” Daundkar said. The elections for PMC were held on February 21 while the results were declared on February 23. As expected, the tussle was between the BJP and the NCP. The the BJP was upbeat after winning Lok Sabha seat with record margin, followed by victory in all eight seats in assembly elections in 2014. The BJP, after gaining power at the Centre as well as state, was eying for the same in PMC and had started preparations a year ahead of civic polls. On the other hand, the NCP that held power in PMC for ten years was facing stiff challenge from the BJP. The BJP contested 162 seats and won 98 seats, including one independent sponsored by the party. The total expenditure furnished by the party is Rs 1.83 crore. The NCP had allied with Congress on select seats. It contested 130 seats and won 39 seats for which it had an election expenditure of Rs 1.61 crore.
