LS poll cost 80 times up since 1952: From Rs 10 cr to Rs 846 cr

The poll holding exercise has witnessed a whopping jump by 80 times to Rs 846 crore since 1952 when it was mere Rs 10 crore.

The entire expenditure on actual conduct of elections to the Lok Sabha is borne by the government of India and such expenditure on conduct of election to state legislatures by the respective state governments when such elections are held independently.

If concurrent election to Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly is held then such expenditure is shared between central and respective state governments. A total of Rs 10.45 crore was spent on the country's first election in 1952. As many as Rs 846.66 crore was spent during last general elections in 2009, according to data released by the government.

The Centre has borne Rs 5.9 crore expenditure incurred on elections in 1957, as against Rs 7.32 crore in 1962 and Rs 10.79 crore in 1967, the data said. About Rs 11.60 crore was spent in 1971, Rs 23.03 crore in 1977, Rs 54.77 crore in 1980 and Rs 81.51 crore for conducting elections during 1984-85, it said.

About Rs 154.22 crore was spent for conducting elections in 1989, Rs 359.10 crore in 1991-91, Rs 597.34 crore in 1996, Rs 666.22 crore in 1998, Rs 947.68 crore in 1999 and  Rs 1,113.87 crore in 2004, the data said.

"Expenditure incurred on items of common concern to the central and the state governments like expenditure on regular election establishment, preparation and revision of electoral roll etc. is shared on 50:50 basis irrespective of whether such expenditure is incurred in connection with the elections to the Lok Sabha or state legislatures.

"Even if election is to Lok Sabha, expenditure towards law and order maintenance is born by respective state governments only," according to the government.

India will spend over Rs 5,000 crore in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, with around Rs 10 crore estimated to be spent on each constituency on an average, as per the Election Commission estimates. Conduct of assembly elections in four states -- Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh -- will cost the exchequer about Rs 1,000 crore, Election Commissioner H S Brahma had said.