2024 LS polls: Constituency expenditure: Five high spenders make Faridkot top list
A total of 28 candidates in the fray spent a whopping ₹4.19 crore in sharp comparison to ₹28.76 lakh by three candidates in the Nagaland parliamentary constituency. The five candidates in the Faridkot constituency spent ₹3.92 crore (93.55%) out of the total expenditure of ₹4.19 crore.
With candidates of four major parties spending more than ₹84 lakh each, and an Independent ₹41.95 lakh, the Faridkot parliamentary constituency in Punjab saw the highest expenditure during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A total of 28 candidates in the fray spent a whopping ₹4.19 crore in sharp comparison to ₹28.76 lakh by three candidates in the Nagaland parliamentary constituency. The five candidates in the Faridkot constituency spent ₹3.92 crore (93.55%) out of the total expenditure of ₹4.19 crore.
Independent candidate Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, who is the son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassin Beant Singh, won from Faridkot Lok Sabha constituency. Beating all the odds and riding high on the panthic wave, Khalsa won from Faridkot with a margin of 70,246 votes by defeating chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s close friend Karamjit Singh Anmol.
As per the data of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Karamjit Singh Anmol was the candidate with the highest expenditure in the constituency with a spending of ₹91.44 lakh. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent ₹89.25 lakh, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ₹85.92 lakh and Congress candidate Amarjit Kaur Sahoke ₹84.06 lakh.
The ECI on Wednesday released a 130-page book on last year’s general elections comprising information on electors, candidates, and voters as well as on the election planning, logistics among others.
Despite being an independent candidate, Khalsa has spent ₹41.95 lakh on the poll campaign. This makes him the fifth candidate in the constituency to spend a large amount of money on the campaign, which was not witnessed in other constituencies. Apart from the major parties and Khalsa, there were five other candidates who have spend more than ₹1 lakh on their campaign.
The second on the list of top parliamentary constituencies with highest expenditure is Anandpur Sahib with combined spending of ₹3.77 crore, which is ₹42.89 lakh lower than Faridkot. This is almost the amount of money Khalsa spent on his campaign.
However, despite topping the list, no candidate from Faridkot has made it to the list of top 15 candidates with highest expenditure. SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who won the election from Bathinda, is at the eighth spot with an expenditure of ₹93.24 lakh.
As per experts, the large number of candidates with more spending is the major reason behind Faridkot topping the list of top parliamentary constituencies with the highest expenditure.
Professor Ashutosh Kumar of Panjab University’s department of political science said the major reason behind Faridkot topping the list is the higher number of candidates with more expenses which is not very common in other constituencies. “The candidates of four major parties and an independent candidate have spend most of the amount. It will be difficult to find another constituency where five candidates have spent more than ₹40 lakh,” he said.
Faridkot deputy commissioner Vineet Kumar said “This shows the election machinery worked efficiently in the constituency during the Lok Sabha elections last year. This also shows how remarkable the expenditure monitoring teams worked as this constituency had no high-profile candidate. The candidates have also been transparent in providing expense details.”
BJP candidate Hans Raj Hans said “We had submitted all the details regarding expenditures in a transparent manner and the amount has not crossed the limit set by the ECI.”
Two candidates have not submitted their expenditure records to the election commission, following which the authorities have issued notices to them.