Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Funding elections in India: Whose money has the most influence? -Jennifer Bussell

Funding elections in India: Whose money has the most influence? -Jennifer Bussell

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jul 26, 2018   modified Modified on Jul 26, 2018
-Hindustan Times

In India, it’s difficult to find accurate estimates of campaign spending. Research also shows that illicit funds are important in funding elections in the country.

Despite constant chatter about the massive (and rising) costs of election campaigns in India, there is a dearth of credible data on the actual costs, the sources of support for candidates, and the implications of campaign costs on governance between elections.

However, newly available survey data on politicians in three of India’s largest and most electorally competitive states—Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh —offer a unique and systematic view into the nature of campaign finance across all levels of elected office, from the gram panchayat to the Lok Sabha, and the possible repercussions for Indian democracy. These data, collected between 2011 and 2014 from surveys of more than 2,500 incumbent politicians, provide insights into the role of political parties in funding elections, candidates’ sources of campaign support, and the specific, and troubling, importance of illicit funds.

The survey asked politicians about their own spending in past elections, sources of both financial and non-financial assistance, perception of the spending habits of their peers, and, perhaps most importantly, the role of cash in their campaigns.

What did we find? It’s worth starting with what we did not find: accurate estimates of campaign spending. Most respondents report spending less on campaigns than the official limits, despite regular grumbling by politicians about the exceedingly strict campaign finance limits imposed by the Election Commission.

Thus, either the anecdotal reports are wrong or politicians are unwilling to report honestly on their spending. One piece of evidence in favour of the second explanation is the fact that politicians at all levels indicate their peers spent at least double what they themselves spent, suggesting that their own reports are severe underestimates.

The politicians’ responses were not all such obvious affectations of innocence, however, and there is much we can learn from what they did report.

A key question posed by election analysts, to date unanswered, is the degree to which political parties provide financial support to candidates for office at various tiers of government . We found that party support was far more prevalent at higher levels of office.

More than 60% of politicians at the state and national levels report receiving political party support, compared to fewer than 10% of respondents at the district level and lower.

Please click here to read more.

Hindustan Times, 24 July, 2018, https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/funding-elections-in-india-whose-money-has-the-most-influence/story-KlBvIvtVhdfAPy6hRes3PJ.html


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close