EC has issued elaborate guidelines about the conduct and expenditure of high profile public meetings, addressed by star campaigners.
As campaign for the five state Assembly polls starts to heat up, the Election Commission (EC) has issued elaborate guidelines about the conduct and expenditure of high profile public meetings, addressed by star campaigners.
Expecting a star-studded electrifying campaign, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the EC has notified that while travel expenses of the notified star campaigners would not be added to the expenditure of contesting candidate, the expenses of the meeting would be added, in case the candidate or his poll agent is present on the dais or a banner with his picture or name is put up around the dais.
The travel expenses whether by helicopter, aircraft or any other means, will not be added to the expenditure incurred by the contesting candidates. However, if a candidate or his family member or representative travels with the star campaigner, half of the expenditure incurred will be added to his account.
To avail this benefit, the party has to notify its star campaigners within seven days of the notification of the election. A recognised political party can have maximum 40 such campaigners while the ceiling is 20 for other registered parties.
The benefit, however, is not available on expenditure incurred by a star campaigner of another party or a party in alliance as his travel expenditure will be added to the candidate’s expenditure.
The candidate has to bear the lodging and boarding expenses of the star campaigners as also half the cost of the public meetings. The expenditure will be divided among the candidates if the party leader is campaigning for more than one candidate.
Further, the expenditure including lodging/boarding will be also added to candidate’s expenses, if the star campaigner stays in a in a commercial hotel or a lodge for the purpose of campaign.
“The market value of such commercial boarding and lodging is to be calculated towards the poll expenditure of the candidate, even if the boarding and lodging is provided as complimentary. If the star campaigner while availing the boarding and lodging in one constituency, travels to another constituency to campaign for other candidates, then the lodging and boarding expense will be proportionately distributed as the expense of those candidates,” said the notification.
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