Maharashtra Election Scandal: Notices Served Over Unreported Poll Expenses

BJP's Beed Lok Sabha candidate Pankaja Munde and NCP's Bajrang Sonavane have been served notices for allegedly not reporting significant portions of their election expenses. The district election officer, citing Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, demanded clarification on the unreported expenditures.

BJP’s Beed Lok Sabha candidate and former Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde and the NCP (SP) nominee for the seat have been served notices over alleged irregularities in their poll expenses, an official said on Wednesday. District Election Officer and Collector Deepa Mudhol Munde issued the notices to Munde and her rival Bajrang Sonavane of the Sharad Pawar-headed NCP (SP) on Tuesday. Lok Sabha polls in Beed were held in the fourth phase on May 13.

The notice was issued to Sonavane for allegedly not including a spend of Rs 9.59 lakh between April 22 and May 10 in his election expenses register, said an official release. According to Section 77 of The Representation Of The People Act, 1951, every candidate should provide the correct account of their expenditures from the date of filing nomination to the date of results, the official said.

Expense observers then match expense documents, vouchers, and receipts against records maintained by the candidates in their daily expense registers.

In the case of Munde, an amount of Rs 20.94 lakh was spent between May 2 and May 10 but not mentioned in her expense register, the release said. Through the notices, the candidates have been directed to make the records clear, an official said.