Elections 2024: From EVMs To Security, How Much It Costs To Organise Lok Sabha Elections In India?
With Lok Sabha elections just about three weeks away, all eyes will be on who India votes to power in 2024. While the nation gets ready to go for general elections soon, can you guess how much it costs to hold elections in India??Let us look at the cost of holding Lok Sabha elections, and what all comprises such cost.
How much do Lok Sabha elections cost?
The cost of holding Lok Sabha elections has increased significantly, from Rs 10.5 crore in 1951 to Rs 3,870.3 crore in 2014. In the meantime, India's eligible voter population increased by more than five times, from 17.32 crore in 1952 to 91.2 crore in 2019. India is the largest democracy in the world based only on the size of its electorate.
Every poll since 1957 has shown an increase in cost, with the exception of the general elections. The expenses increased by more than three times, from Rs 1,114.4 crore to Rs 3,870.3 crore, between the Lok Sabha elections of 2009 and 2014, as per Indian Express report.
The elections are funded by the central government. The costs cover the administrative costs incurred by the Election Commission (EC) for the deployment of poll workers and armed security personnel, the installation of polling booths, the purchase of electronic voting machines, the administration of voter education campaigns, and the issuance of voter ID cards. But as of yet, the EC has not disclosed how much the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will cost.?
The cost of procuring EVMs
Since 2004 every constituency has used electronic voting machines (EVMs) in general elections. The cost of acquiring and maintaining EVMs has increased steadily since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, especially in the 2023–2024 Budget. After the election, the Center set aside Rs 25 crore for EVMs in the first Budget. Initially, Rs 1,891.8 crore was set aside in the most recent Budget for EVMs. FM Sitharaman has proposed an additional Rs 611.27 crore in grant requests during the current House Winter Session.
Although the EC receives funding directly from the annual Budget, the Ministry of Law and Justice's Budget covers some election-related costs, such as those for EVMs.?
The EC has 22.15 lakh control units and 31.03 lakh ballot units as of March 2023. Voters use the ballot unit, which is a button interface, while control units connect to it to count the votes.?The EC purchased 2.5 lakh control units and 3.82 lakh ballot units in 2014. Given that EVMs only last for about 15 years, the majority of these devices are probably still in use. The EC purchased extra EVMs totaling over 13 lakh ballot units and roughly 10 lakh control units in 2018 and 2023.
Cost of EC’s administration
The budget of the Election Commission (EC) has also increased annually, from Rs 236.6 crore in the year prior to the 2019 general elections to Rs 340 crore in the budget for 2023–2024. Sitharaman presented an additional request for funding totaling Rs 73.7 crore during the Winter Session to support the agency's efforts to get ready for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The EC staff is expected to increase from 591 employees in 2022 to 855 employees in 2024, according to budget documents.?
Growing scale of Lok Sabha polls
Considering the size of the elections, it is perhaps not surprising that their costs are increasing. The number of voters has grown significantly, as has the number of parties, candidates, polling places, and constituencies.
In the general elections of 1952, 1,874 candidates representing 53 parties ran in 401 constituencies (including dual member seats), necessitating the installation of 1.96 lakh polling places. By 2019, there were 8,054 candidates from 673 parties in 543 constituencies with 10.37 lakh polling booths—a multiple of the numbers mentioned earlier.
For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth.?Click here
