SEC Issues Order On Expenditure Limit & Number Of Vehicles In ULB Polls In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Tuesday issued an order on the expenditure limit and use of number of vehicles by the candidates during the elections to urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state.

As per the order, the candidates contesting for corporator and councillor posts in NACs and municipalities can use maximum two vehicles including three-wheeler and four-wheeler, while those fighting for chairman posts are eligible to four such vehicles.

The eligible candidates contesting for mayor posts in municipal corporations are allowed to use six vehicles and the political parties can deploy two four-wheelers.

The SEC said all the candidates and parties need to submit information to the election officers in writing regarding the details of the vehicles to be used by them like the models, registration number and owners.

On the expenditure front, the SEC order stated that the candidates for councillor and corporator posts in NACs and municipalities with 50,000 population can spend upto Rs 50,000 in the elections. Those contesting for chairman posts in these ULBs can spend upto Rs 2 lakh.

For councillor and corporator candidates in the municipalities having population of 50,000 to one lakh, the expenditure limit has been capped at Rs 75,000 and for the chairman posts, it is Rs 3 lakh.

Similarly, the election expenditure limit for councillor and corporator candidates in the municipalities having more than one lakh population has been fixed at Rs one lakh and for chairman posts, it is Rs 5 lakh.

The candidates for councillor and corporator posts in municipal corporation are permitted to maximum expenditure of Rs 2 lakh and those contesting for mayor posts, the limit has been fixed at Rs 12 lakh.