The elections in Uttar Pradesh in February next year will cost around Rs 300 crore and will be the most expensive election till date.
The estimated cost of Rs 300 crore includes the expenses involved on deployment and transportation of para-military and central forces.
In the 2007 assembly polls, a sum ofRs 127 crore had been spent on para-military and central forces but the amount is expected to rise considerably due to the hike in prices of petrol and diesel.
According to sources, in the state Election Commission, a vast sum of money is expected to be spent on installation of video cameras during campaigning and polling.
“The number of voters has increased from 11.19 crore to 12.58 crore which means that there will be an increase of about 9,000 polling stations. Besides, the Election Commission has earmarked a sum of Rs 5 crore on voter awareness programmes that will be launched shortly,” said an EC official.
Besides, a considerable sum of money is being spent on information dissemination, computerisation of incoming and outgoing information and Webcasting.
The Election Commission will also be using the EVM tracking system in these elections which will go a long way in ensuring free and fair polls.
The man force deployed in these elections will also be higher compared to previous elections, leading to an obvious escalation of costs.
“With the number of voters and available facilities increasing this time, there is bound to be an escalation of cost — more so because there has been an overall price rise in every sphere,” said the official.