JAIPUR: In what may be an obvious pointer to gross anomaly, three newly elected MPs from the state are among 13 others from across the country, who have declared their personal election expenditure much more than their total assets. The analysis forms, part of a report, is compiled by the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch on election expenditures by MPs during the 2014 LS election.
According to the report, election expenditure is calculated under three sub-heads of expenses incurred solely by the candidate or his agent, by the political party he or she is affiliated to and by others.
BJP MP from Sikar, Sumedha Nand Saraswati, declared poll expenses of Rs 39,57,463 while declaring his total assets at Rs 34,311. First time MP, Mahant Chand Nath Yogi, also of the BJP, from Alwar spent Rs 27,44,294 on his own while having declared his total assets at Rs 1,99,653. Also featuring in the list is Manshankar Ninama, BJP MP from Banswara, who spent Rs 60,35,542 while declaring his worth at Rs 40,40,285.
Rajasthan, with three MPs in the list, shares the top spot in this section along with Uttar Pradesh.
The ADR and NEW analysed the election expense statements submitted after the Lok Sabha elections for 537 MPs. The expenditure limits for Lok Sabha elections were raised this year from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 70 lakh for each Lok Sabha constituency in bigger states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Karnataka etc and from Rs 22 lakh to Rs 54 Lakh in smaller states like Goa.
The report also features BJP MP from Udaipur, Arjunlal Meena, among top 10 MPs from the country with the highest election expense. Meena, who is listed at number 9, spent Rs 62,44,806 out of a permissible Rs 70 lakh in the polls.
The top spender in this section are Congress' Gourav Gogoi from Kaliabor in Assam at Rs 82,40,641 and BJP's Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava from Baruch in Gujarat at Rs 67,31,280. Surprisingly, none from Rajasthan feature among the 10 lowest spenders in elections. The MPs from the state spent an average of Rs 47,89,702 for the polls.