Reduce poll expenses cap: Mizo netas to EC

NEW DELHI: Amid growing use of money power in elections and the challenge faced by Election Commission to keep the candidates’ poll spend in check, there is one state — Mizoram — where candidates approached EC for reducing their poll expenditure cap to Rs 8 lakh from the current Rs 20-lakh limit.

According to chief election commissioner O P Rawat, “Mizos are the most peace-loving people and in fact most ethical in their approach because commission got this request (for lowering ceiling for candidates’ poll expenditure) only in one state”.

“Even though it (the ceiling) is only Rs 20 lakh (for Mizoram), Rs 8 lakh less than other states, they (candidates) said make it Rs 8 lakh..that the current limit is too high...(They said) we do not need so much money for polls,” Rawat told TOI just before demitting office last week.

There are more positive experiences regarding Mizoram poll that were documented by election observers.

Nagaland

cadre IAS officer

Armstrong Pame

, an EC observer assigned to

Lunglei district

of the state, stated in a Facebook post how his experiences in Mizoram were “too boring” as the poll was peaceful and devoid of any “action”.

In the December 2 post that now has 1,900 likes, Pame reaffirmed that many candidates in Mizoram “couldn’t even find a way to spend Rs 10-20 lakhs”.

When contacted by TOI, Pame said by seeking a reduction in maximum poll expenditure, Mizos only wanted to ensure there were no limitations for good candidates to fight polls due to financial constraints. He said he had not received a single complaint or demand for repoll even though the phone number assigned to him as an observer was widely-publicised. Pame appreciated how a church-appointed vigilante, as per a voluntary arrangement worked out by all church bodies in the Christian-dominated state and honoured by all parties and candidates, would accompany a candidate or supporter during the campaign to ensure a fair contest. Besides, what set his experiences as a poll observer in Mizoram apart from his earlier stint as an observer in

West Bengal

, was that there were no feasts and parties hosted by parties or candidates in the poll run-up.