Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to convene an all-party meeting to discuss public funding for elections in India. Banerjee has expressed her concern over the exorbitant poll expenditure in the Lok Sabha elections and has asked the Prime Minister to "call an all-party meeting with the single agenda of government funding of elections in India," she mentioned while adding that it was one of the most urgently required electoral reforms in the country.
Banerjee, who is also the supremo of Trinamool Congress, has cited the recent report by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) titled 'Poll Expenditure – The 2019 Elections' stated that the 2019 general elections were the "most expensive election ever, anywhere" and "twice as expensive" as the 2014 elections.
"For a free, fair and transparent election in India, we urgently need electoral reforms which include government funding of elections," she wrote.
Her letter read that according to the CMS report, the poll expenditure of the 2019 Parliamentary elections has crossed all limits reaching a minimum of Rs 60,000 crore and maximum expenditure remains unknown and could be much higher.
Terming the issue of public funding as a 'burning issue of national importance' she mentioned that she had flagged the matter in her party Trinamool Congress' manifesto in 2014 and 2019. "The issue is broadly of electoral reforms and specifically to prevent corruption and criminality in our democratic polity. The time has come for Government funding of elections which is the norm today in 65 countries in the world," her letter read.
Banerjee also stated that as per the current spending figures, in the next 2024 general elections, the poll expenditure could cross Rs 1 lakh crore. She regretted that the Election Commission of India had imposed strict limits on expenditure incurred by candidates on their election campaign but not on the political parties.
The Chief Minister also cited a study conducted by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance on 'Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns' wherein it stated that 65 countries received Direct Public Funding and 79 countries received Indirect Public Funding.
A few days back, speaking at the July 21 Martyrs' Day rally, Banerjee had stressed on electoral reforms and demanded a return to ballot papers instead of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) to save democracy and stop the use of black money during polls.