Model representation to be submitted to Head of the office for grant of One Increment

Election Expenditure per elector up by twenty times in 2009 compared to first General Elections

General Elections are held to elect representatives for Lok Sabha after normally, every five years. Every election requires a huge amount of resources and efforts, be it planning, labour, technology, and for that matter, money. From the first Lok Sabha Elections in 1951-52 till the fifteenth in 2009, it has been a long journey for democracy. Government’s expenditure on an elector has gone up manifold, twenty times to be precise, from the first General Elections to the Fifteenth General Elections. In the first elections, the Government spent Rs 0.60 on an elector whereas it went on spending Rs 12 in 2009 General Elections. Considering expenditure in absolute terms, Rs 10.45 Crore were spent in 1951-52 whereas Rs 846.67 Crore was the amount the Government spent for 2009 General Elections. Cost wise, 2004 General Elections was the heaviest on government exchequer with about Rs 1114 Crore spent in the elections. This was the elections when per elector cost was also the highest. Government spent Rs 17 on an elector. Significantly, there was increase in the election cost by 17.53% vis-à-vis 1999 General Elections even when there was reduction in number of polling stations by 11.26%.  In first Six General Elections, cost per elector was less than a rupee, but coming elections saw rapid growth in Election Expenditure. Keeping devaluation of money owing to inflation into account, the rise in cost could be attributed to increased level of democratic activities. Many political parties started into being; more independents were now participating. Various voter-friendly initiatives like voter awareness campaigns, distribution of voter slip ahead of election date, use of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for the first time in General Elections 2014, may increase expenditure further but these efforts are focussed at strengthening the very structure and values of democracy. It may be known that the entire expenditure on actual conduct of elections to Lok Sabha is borne by Government of India. But expenditure towards law & order maintenance is born by respective State Governments. Election Expenditure   by   Central Government for all fifteen Lok Sabha Elections is as follows:- Year Expenditure (In Cr Rs) No of Electors Expenditure per elector (In Rs) Polling Station 1952 10.45 17,32,12,343 0.6 1,96,084 1957 5.9 19,36,52,179 0.3 2,20,478 1962 7.32 21,63,61,569 0.3 2,38,031 1967 10.8 25,02,07,401 0.4 2,43,693 1971 11.61 27,41,89,132 0.4 3,42,918 1977 23.04 32,11,74,327 0.7 3,73,910 1980 54.77 35,62,05,329 1.5 4,36,813 1984-85   $ 81.51 40,03,75,333 2 5,06,058 1989 154.22 49,89,06,129 3.1 5,80,798 1991-92   # 359.1 5,11,533,598 7    5,91,020  * 1996 597.34 59,25,72,288 10 7,67,462 1998 666.22 60,58,80,192 11 7,73,494 1999 947.68 61,95,36,847 15 7,74,651 2004 1113.88 67,14,87,930 17 6,87,402 2009 846.67 71,69,85,101 12 8,30,866     *     Excludes J&K in 1991-92           1989 to 2009 General Elections’ Expenditure figures are provisional       $     Elections were held separately for States of Assam & Punjab in 1985      #      Elections were held separately for State of Punjab in 1992            (Source: Ministry of Law and Social Justice & ECI website)         Election Expenditure                                                                                              Source: Election Commission of India