Jharkhand Municipal Elections: Election Commission Caps Campaign Expenditure for Mayoral Candidates

Ranchi: The political temperature in Jharkhand has risen sharply following the announcement of municipal elections. Along with declaring the election dates, the State Election Commission has also set strict limits on campaign expenditure for candidates.

After a long wait, the municipal elections in Jharkhand were officially announced on Tuesday, January 27. The announcement has triggered a surge of activity in urban politics across the state. In the elections scheduled on February 23, a total of 43,33,574 voters will exercise their franchise across 48 urban local bodies, including 22,07,203 male voters, 21,26,227 female voters, and 144 transgender voters. This time, however, mayoral candidates will not be able to spend lavishly on election campaigns, as the Election Commission has imposed expenditure limits.

Voting Across 48 Municipal Bodies, 1,087 Ward Councilors Up for Election

According to the State Election Commission, voters will cast their votes for mayors in 9 municipal corporations, chairpersons in 20 municipal councils, 19 municipal panchayats, and a total of 1,087 ward councilors. Following the announcement of the election schedule, political parties and prospective candidates have intensified their campaign preparations.

The State Election Commissioner, Alka Tiwari, stated that 4,304 polling stations have been set up across the state, spread over 2,129 buildings, ensuring voters can cast their ballots without any difficulty.

Elections Pending Since 2020 to Finally Take Place

It is noteworthy that municipal elections in Jharkhand had been pending since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequent legal and procedural issues caused further delays. The State Election Commission has now finalized the process and decided to hold the elections.

Strict Limits on Campaign Expenditure for Candidates

Along with the election announcement, the Commission has set strict expenditure limits for candidates:

• Municipal Corporations with populations over 10 lakh:
• Mayoral/Chairperson candidates: up to ₹25 lakh
• Ward councilors: up to ₹5 lakh
• Municipal Corporations with populations under 10 lakh:
• Mayoral/Chairperson candidates: up to ₹15 lakh
• Ward councilors: up to ₹3 lakh
• Municipal Councils with populations over 1 lakh:
• Chairpersons: up to ₹10 lakh
• Ward councilors: up to ₹2 lakh
• Municipal Councils with populations under 1 lakh:
• Chairpersons: up to ₹6 lakh
• Ward councilors: up to ₹1.5 lakh
• Municipal Panchayats with populations between 12,000 and 40,000:
• Chairpersons: up to ₹5 lakh
• Ward councilors: up to ₹1 lakh

These expenditure caps aim to ensure transparent and fair elections while preventing excessive spending in urban political campaigns.