ACCOUNTS OF ELECTION EXPENSES

Maintenance of accounts of election expenses.

Election Commission's letter No. 576/3/93/J.S-II dated the 7th January, 1993 addressed to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States/Union Territories (Except Jammu & Kashmir).
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Subject :- Maintenance of account of election expenses and lodging of true copy thereof-instructions.

I am directed to invite your attention to the Commission's instructions contained in para 6(h) of Chapter V of the Handbook for Returning Officers (1991-reprint) wherein it has been directed that the Returning Officer should hand over to the candidate/proposer at the time of filling nomination papers, a copy of the brief instructions together with a proforma prescribed for maintaining and filing account of election expenses by the candidate to ensure compliance with the provisions of law relating to lodging of account of election expenses.

2. The Commission has now decided that the above mentioned instructions and proforma should be handed over to the candidate personally and not to his proposer along with a forwarding letter and an acknowledgement in token of receipt of the said letter should be obtained from the candidate. A model proforma each of the forwarding letter and the acknowledgement form is enclosed herewith.

3. This letter should be delivered to each candidate personally at the earliest opportunity when he comes to the Returning Officer at the time of filing his nomination paper/scrutiny of nominations/allotment of symbols/collection of his identity card. He should be asked to give the acknowledgement to the prescribed proforma then and there.

4. All the acknowledgements obtained from the candidates should be sent by the Returning Officer to the District Election Officer for his record within one week from the expiry of the last date for withdrawal of candidatures.

5. Your attention is also invited to para 11 of Chapter V of the Handbook for Returning Officers regarding preparation of list of nominated candidates by the Returning Officer in the form prescribed in that paragraph. On many occasions in the past, it has come to notice that while preparing this list, complete address of the candidate is not indicated under column 3 of the said list. Consequently, while preparing the lists of validly nominated candidates and contesting candidates, the address of candidate remains incomplete. This creates a lot of difficulties and inconvenience at later stages when some communication is required to be sent to the candidate, especially in the case of notice sent by the Commission under rule 89(5) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 if he fails to lodge the account of election expenses.

6. In view of the above, the Commission directs that every care should be taken to ensure that complete address of the candidate is indicated correctly in the list of nominated candidates prepared by the Returning Officers.

7. All Returning Officers and other election authorities concerned should be directed forthwith to comply with the above directions and instructions.

8. The receipt of the letter along with its enclosures should kindly be acknowledged immediately. A copy of the instructions issued by you in this behalf should also be endorsed to the Commission by 22-1-1993.



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