Poll panel doubles expenditure limits

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (APSEC) has doubled the expenditure ceilings for candidates contesting the upcoming second ordinary elections to gram panchayats, mandal parishads and zilla parishads across the state compared with the limits prescribed for the 2021 local body elections. State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha issued two notifications, Nos. 566/SEC-B1/2026 and 567/SEC-B1/2026, on Tuesday, specifying the maximum election expenditure and nomination security deposits for various categories of candidates. The expenditure limits have been fixed based on the 2011 Census population figures.

Copies of both notifications have been sent to district collectors, district election authorities, district panchayat officers, zilla parishad chief executive officers and recognised political parties for information and implementation. Under the revised norms, candidates contesting gram panchayat ward member elections in villages with a population below 10,000 can spend up to Rs 60,000 as against the earlier limit of Rs 30,000. In villages with a population of 10,000 and above, the ceiling has been increased to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 50,000.

The expenditure limit for sarpanch candidates in gram panchayats with a population below 10,000 has been raised to Rs 2.5 lakh from Rs 1.5 lakh. For gram panchayats with a population of 10,000 and above, the ceiling has been enhanced to Rs.4 lakh from Rs 2.5 lakh. Similarly, the spending limit for mandal parishad territorial constituency (MPTC) candidates has been increased to Rs 4 lakh from Rs 2 lakh, while the ceiling for zilla parishad territorial constituency (ZPTC) candidates has been raised to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 4 lakh. The second notification specifies the security deposits payable by candidates while filing nominations. Candidates belonging to the general category must pay Rs 1,000 for a gram panchayat ward member seat, Rs 3,000 for a sarpanch or MPTC seat, and Rs 6,000 for a ZPTC seat.

Candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes are required to pay half the prescribed amounts: Rs 500 for a ward member seat, Rs 1,500 for a sarpanch or MPTC seat and Rs.3,000 for a ZPTC seat.

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