India is a country of many people. With so many states having so many people and all of them having the right to vote, it becomes difficult to conduct elections. Such a big task requires a lot of money. The money used to conduct elections is used for tasks such as campaigning and more. Therefore, it is safe to say that elections in India are one of the most expensive elections. According to many, while elections in India have always been expensive, changing times are making things more difficult, making the process even more expensive. Many also wonder if the huge costs involved in elections can include practices like vote buying. However, nothing can be said without solid evidence.
Money during elections
Many speculate that elections in India are expensive because of the bribes politicians pay to win votes. However, it is not safe to assume this deduction. First, because such a conclusion lacks evidence, and secondly, there are many more areas in which the money used in elections is used, apart from bribes.
For example, in the 2014 general and state assembly elections, Congress and BJP spent a lot of money. The Congress party spent over 516 crore rupees while the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) spent about 714 crore rupees. According to 2015 data compiled by the Election Commission, the spending of these two parties exceeded that of the others, with the BSP spending Rs 30 crore while the NCP spent around Rs 51 crore.
This incident prompted the Election Commission to issue a show cause notice. Moreover, it can be said that the expenses reported during the elections are nothing but a tiny fraction of the total amount actually spent. The reported amount is actually 1/30 of the amount actually spent.
Are there any hidden costs?
Well yes. Hidden costs during elections can include the cost of gifts given to local influencers and voters. This falls under the scope of bribery.
Other factors
There are definitely factors other than bribery that make the electoral process in India expensive. One of them is that the country’s massive democracy can sometimes lead to challenges, making elections expensive. Gift giving, as already mentioned, also contributes to expensive choices. The third factor that leads to expensive elections is the fancy gathering of politicians to gain all eyes on themselves.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education