Monitor election expenses

Former General Secretary of Nepali Congress Dr. Shashank Koirala said the other day that he had to spend about Rs. 60 million to win last election for the federal House of Representatives while the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) had set the limit of Rs. 2.5 million for a candidate. It means he had to spend about 24-time higher than the allowed purse of money. 

Likewise, earlier in September last year, Chairman of CPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said that election had become so expensive that even he had to think twice before contesting one, and the 'revolutionary party' had to resort to the 'feudals' to arrange money to finance poll expenditures.

Contesting election has become a 'daring task' for the political leaders even for those who belong to the upper rung in terms of the socioeconomic status. Election has become a full-fledged marketing gimmick and branding activity where people are mobilised as 'sales persons', posters, banners, t-shirts, caps, flags are distributed, food and drinks are offered and multiple vehicles are used for the mobility. They demand a handsome size of money. 

On top of it, many candidates had to buy tickets. But no candidate or political party submit the actual audit report to the Election Commission. They fake the document and the election management body accepts it as it is and conducts no further investigations.

Meanwhile, the ECN had put Rs. 750,000 ceiling on poll expenditure for candidates vying for the post of mayor and deputy mayor of a metropolitan city, Rs. 550,000 for mayor and deputy mayor of sub-metropolis. Likewise, expenditure limits for the candidates vying for the post of the chiefs and deputies of municipalities and rural municipalities are Rs. 450,000 and Rs. 350,000 respectively. According to the election body, candidates of ward chairpersons could spend from Rs. 150,000 to Rs. 300,000 from rural municipality to metropolis. However, many ward chairpersons of admit of spending up to Rs. 10 million.

When candidates spend more than the limit set by the ECN, the money is illegally outsourced from the business persons and corrupt politicians. It means they have to exhibit loyalty to them when they win the election and hold the public post. It triggers policy and monetary corruptions at various level such as the ward chairpersons illegally awarding natural resources like sand mines, forests and public land to the contractors and their election financers.

Likewise, representatives who organise extravagant election campaigns are more focused on raising the money after being elected to the public posts, and they compromise their duties to the public and political ethics. Instead of facilitating the public with timely services in a simplified manner, they keep on finding ways of financial misappropriation. Social and infrastructure development take a back seat. Hence, to save public funds from the misuse, election expenditure should be brought down to the ceiling set by the ECN. 

However, the current ceiling set by the election body seems unpractical and need to be reviewed and robust monitoring as well as auditing of poll expenditure. Until and unless stern action is taken against those violating the spending limit in the election, malpractices would continue to flourish which will ultimately create ground for corruption and embezzlement of public funds. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 10 April 2022.