Bahujan Vikas Aghadi has leveled serious allegations against BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde.
Maharashtra state assembly elections have been mired in a cash scandal ahead of polling. The allegation was leveled against BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde. The culprit, a leader of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, said Vinod Tawde distributed the money at Vivant Hotel in Virar East. For this reason, the two sides had a dispute and even escalated into a fight.
The staff of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi even claimed that Vinod Tawde had brought Rs 5 crore to be distributed to Rajan Naik, the candidate for the parliamentary seat, and later Rs 9 lakh was recovered from the hotel after the investigation was completed. It’s unclear whose money it was. After recovering the money, however, questions began to arise: How did the hotel recover such a huge amount during the election? In fact, the code of conduct states that anyone can only carry cash within certain limits. In case of emergency, exemption may be granted, but the source of the amount must be indicated.
How much money can MLAs spend on elections?
Expenditure limits for contesting MLA elections in India are fixed by the Election Commission of India. However, this limit may vary based on state size, population and other factors. So far, in the country’s assembly elections, candidates in other large states such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and others can spend up to Rs 40 lakh. In small states and Union Territories (Goa, Manipur, Puducherry), candidates are only allowed to spend Rs 28 lakh. However, this does not include expenses incurred by the party in organizing meetings or rallies for its candidates.
How much amount can a candidate bring?
On the other hand, if we talk about a candidate carrying cash during elections, then he can only follow the guidelines issued by the finance ministry, according to which anyone can carry cash of around Rs 2 lakh and can also do shopping. Spend the same money. However, when elections are held in any state, a code of conduct is implemented there and anyone can carry up to Rs 50,000 in cash, but it does not mean that if someone carries Rs 2 lakh, the police will arrest him. The person will relax when you provide information about where you got the money from and what you will do with it. This limit can be relaxed in the event of a medical emergency, but the source of the amount needs to be stated.
How does a candidate show his spending?
According to the Electoral Commission, each candidate is required to open a bank account to pay campaign expenses, and all transactions can be made through this account only. After the campaign, candidates must provide details of all expenditures in their bank accounts to the Electoral Commission. The Election Commission analyzes this and if a candidate spends more money than the prescribed expenditure, action will be taken against him under Section 10A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the candidate will be barred from contesting elections for 3 years. .
