Syllabus: GS-II, Subject: Polity, Topic: Election and RPA, Issue: Elections
Key issues in election campaign spending:
- Uneven playing field: Government advertisements before elections often favor the ruling party.
- No expenditure limits: on political parties during elections.
- The illicit distribution of cash and the opaque nature of donations.
- Still unaccounted electoral funding acquired through electoral bonds scheme.
Election reform proposed by Election Commission in 2016:
- Ban on government advertisements from six months before elections.
- Imposition of expenditure ceilings on parties, linked to candidate limits.
- Appointment of additional judges in High Courts: for expeditious resolution of election-related cases.
| +1 Advantage for Mains
Data Point: ·        A report by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS): 35% elections spending by parties was spent on campaigns, while 25% was distributed amongst voters illegally. Examples: ·        Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998) and Law Commission report (1999) recommended state funding of elections. |
