In a significant move to ensure financial transparency, candidates contesting the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections will be required to maintain daily accounts of their campaign expenditure from the very day they file their nomination papers. Civic officials announced this stringent measure on Thursday, alongside the enforcement of a standard rate card for campaign materials.
Strict Spending Cap and Monitoring Framework
The total spending limit for candidates has been firmly set at Rs 15 lakh. Assistant Commissioner (Assessment and Collection) Gajanan Bellale stated that this initiative is designed to prevent financial irregularities and uphold transparency throughout the election process. He made these remarks during a crucial meeting of ward-wise election expenditure monitoring teams at the BMC headquarters.
As part of a robust oversight mechanism, dedicated monitoring teams will vigilantly track all spending on campaign activities. This includes expenses for public meetings, rallies, and promotional events. Accounts officers have been given strict instructions to maintain meticulous records in prescribed formats and to immediately flag any suspicious transactions for prompt action.
Multi-Agency Coordination for Compliance
The meeting focused on reviewing the roles of various teams responsible for enforcing the rules. Officials confirmed that expenditure observers, accounting teams, flying squads, and video surveillance units will work in tandem to monitor compliance with the spending limits and guidelines set by the Election Commission. All departments have been directed to coordinate closely to ensure the poll process remains transparent and impartial.
The guidelines, originally issued by the State Election Commission on February 15, 2024, mandate that all election-related expenses must be routed through a separate bank account opened specifically for this purpose. Candidates are obligated to disclose the source of all funds—whether personal contributions, party funds, donations, or loans—in Form 1. Concurrently, detailed records of all expenditures must be submitted in Form 2.
Post-Election Affidavit and Rate Card System
Furthermore, within 30 days of the declaration of results, every candidate must file an affidavit in Form 3. To standardize cost assessments, the authorities have prepared a rate card based on prevailing local market prices for commonly used campaign items. After submitting their final expense accounts, candidates will receive an official acknowledgement in Form 4.
The BMC has emphasized that this tightened monitoring framework is a decisive step to curb illegal spending and ensure strict adherence to the prescribed expenditure limits during the high-stakes civic polls. The comprehensive system aims to create a level playing field and restore public trust in the electoral process.
