NEW DELHI: Despite reminders from the EC, both the Congress and the BJP have not yet submitted details of the expenditure incurred by the parties during the Lok Sabha elections. As per the EC’s instructions, the expenditure statements are required to be submitted by the political parties within 90 days after the date fixed for the completion of the election process.

As the results of the LS elections were declared on May 16, 2014, the parties should have filed their expenditure statements on or before August 14, 2014.

According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, among the recognised regional parties, only 24 out of a total of 49 parties had submitted their Lok Sabha election expenditure statements to the poll panel so far.

The SC in its judgment in 1996 had stated that the political parties shall submit to the EC, for its scrutiny, the details of the expenditure incurred or authorised by the parties in connection with the election of their respective candidates. 

The apex court also stated that the EC would be justified in asking the political parties to file an account of their expenditure incurred or authorised by the parties in connection with the election of its candidates during the course of elections. Taking cue from the SC judgments, the EC, for the first time, had asked the unrecognised parties which contested the Lok Sabha elections to file their expenditure statements. Out of a total of the 419 unrecognised parties which had put up candidates, only 17 had submitted details of the expenditure so far.

On September 8, the EC  had issued notice to all the parties, which had failed to file their election expenses. The notice was issued to three national parties-- the Congress, the BJP and the CPI-- and 46 regional parties. Subsequently, several parties submitted their expenditure details but the Congress, the BJP and 24 others did not do so.