Expensive elections

Brij Bhardwaj
India is heading for the most expensive election in history if initial indications are any guide to the scenario which is developing. The leading parties have engaged leading advertising agencies for running their campaign and national campaign alone will cost over a thousand crores of rupees. Add to it hiring of fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and other vehicles which will come in at a heavy cost.
The helicopters have been all booked and international agencies are being approached to provide additional numbers as demand is much more as compared to the number available locally. All top leaders of national parties fly on long routes by planes while helicopters are used to reach remote and hilly areas. Planes and helicopters are hired not only by national parties but also by regional parties.
The style of campaigning over the years has changed. No more concentration on posters, big public meetings. Instead voters are being approached through mobile phones by sending messages, use of social media and door to door campaigning. The cost of campaigning has hit the roof particularly in large constituencies which are spread out over hundred miles. If unofficial estimates of money spent on election work   are to be relied on the ceiling fixed by Election Commission has lost all relevance.
The Election Commission has taken several steps to check use of money during elections. They have confiscated large amounts of money being carried by party functionaries at various centres, but it has not prevented candidates from spending huge amounts and finding ways of transferring the same to party workers. The political parties have also found a novel way of hoodwinking the Election Commission by showing that most of the money comes to them in the form of small donations where the donors is not identified.
It is no secret that most of these donations are given by industrialists and others who hope to receive favours after a political party backed by them comes to power. This in turn leads to favours granted in terms of leasing of land, licences, and other favours leading to corruption and crony capitalism. It is no secret that every national party and regional party spends few crores on every candidate put up by them in the election to Lok Sabha. With atleast ten candidates in field for every seat of Lok Sabha, the money spent runs into few thousand crores.
Besides normal expenditure on campaigning, the candidates are now also engaged in spending money on paid news where large sums are paid to newspapers to get favourable reports written. Some TV channels are also believed to be involved in this racket. The Press Council of India has investigated such practices, but no action has been taken so far. The use of money in elections has had major impact on electoral process and a situation is fast approaching where no candidate with limited means will be able to contest election.
Several proposals like state financing of candidates or other changes in the system to reduce the impact of money have been made but nothing has emerged out of it in the absence of any agreement between major players.
There is no easy solution in sight so far and one can say without any fear of contradiction that every candidate elected to Lok Sabha violates the ceiling on expenditure fixed by Election Commission. The ceiling has been raised from time to time but it is not any closer to reality. The hike in printing cost, fuel cost, election if anything has touched new heights. Only satisfaction is that we have not reached a point where any candidate can win on strength of money alone.
All parties are becoming more professional in selection of their candidates and running of election campaign. They take help of professionals in selection of candidates, engage agencies to carry out surveys to find out issues engaging people and popularity and appeal of various political parties. But all modern gadgets are of little use as in the final outcome, it is the appeal and strategy to the party which counts.
In the current poll voters are being asked to make a choice between the call for better governance and appeal to Hindutav in the garb of nationalism and appeal for being pro-poor and responsible for reforms like rural employment scheme, food security and right to education. The final outcome of poll will be decided not only by strength of national leaders, but organisation at ground level and appeal of State leadership. (IFS)

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