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BMC polls: Citizen candidates to limit costs

While political parties are expected to spend Rs25 lakh to Rs1 crore on campaigning, citizen candidates will limit their costs between Rs30,000 to Rs1 lakh.

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While political parties are expected to spend Rs25 lakh to Rs1 crore on campaigning, citizen candidates will limit their costs between Rs30,000 to Rs1 lakh.

Last year, the state election commission has increased the expenditure limit for civic polls to Rs5 lakh from Rs1.35 lakh.

“In the 2007 civic election, I had spent Rs57,000 on campaigning. This time, I plan to spend up to Rs1 lakh to reach out to as many citizens as possible,” said Adolf D’Souza, the city’s first citizen corporator.

He added citizen candidates have to depend on donations as they do not have any party fund to bank on. “We neither bribe citizens to vote for us nor spend on food or organise big rallies. So, the cost of campaigning automatically reduces,” said D’Souza.

Other citizen groups concurred.

“The election expenses of each candidate would be an average Rs30,000 because we campaign door to door and do not organise huge rallies,” said Santosh Awatramani, spokesperson of Mumbai 227.

“It would be a surprise if anyone from Mumbai 227 spends Rs1 lakh on campaigning.”

Ram Ramdas, spokesperson of Lok Satta party, said their each candidate’s expenses would be Rs50,000 to Rs75,000.

“We are providing common infrastructure to all candidates,” said Ramdas, adding that the expenditure differs from candidate to candidate depending on his/her economical background.

But, Hansel D’Souza of Mumbai Nagrik Manch said that their candidates will not spend more than Rs50,000 on canvassing.

“Rather than wooing voters
by offering money, we are banking upon the work done by our candidates to improve the locality,” he said.

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