TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: In one of the clearest pieces of evidence, that candidates, especially of the national parties bluff their way and fudge figures in affidavits filed before the Election Commission, without getting punished, an analysis of affidavit data has found contradictions between financial amounts claimed to have been given by political parties and stated to have been received by candidates for elections expenditure.
According to nationwide data released by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the parties national expenditure statements of ‘lumpsum amount given to the candidates’ and the abstract statements of candidates provide information on ‘lumpsum amount received from the parties’ shows differences running into crores of Rupees.
This report analyses the difference in the declarations made by political parties and their MPs on the lump sum amounts granted and received as part of election expenditure during the Lok Sabha elections in 2009.
Out of 277 MPs from national parties, a total of Rs 7.47 crore was declared by 75 MPs as received from their parties but the national parties have declared that Rs 14,19,12,228 was given to 138 MPs.
Out of 123 MPs to whom Indian National Congress has declared to have given lumpsum amounts for election expenditure, 81 MPs have declared NIL amount received. Pranab Mukherjee who was given Rs. 15 lacs as declared by the party, has mentioned that no lump sum amount was received for his election expenses. Others include Subodh Kant Sahay, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Manish Tewari, Sachin Pilot, P Chidambaram, Beni Prasad Verma, etc the report reads.
BJP, on the other hand, reports that they did not financially support even one winning candidate but 25 MPs declared that they received a total of Rs 2,75,49,383 from their party.
A total of Rs 3,45,50,000 was given by INC to its 33 Ministers. 22 Ministers have declared they received no amount while only four have declared the same amount as their party’s declaration
Sriprakash Jaiswal (Minister of Coal), Dinsha Patel (Minister of Mines), P Chidambaram (Minister of Finance) among 23 others have declared that they received no lumpsum amount from their parties while INC declared they gave a total of Rs 2.35 crore or an average of Rs 10 lakh to these 23 MPs.
