Lok Sabha Polls: Beed Candidates Receive Notices Over 'Irregularities' In Election Expense

BJP candidate Pankaja Munde and NCP (SP) candidate Bajrang Sonavane have been granted a 48-hour window to provide responses to the notices.

The constituency of Beed is scheduled for polls on May 13.

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The election officials have issued notices to BJP candidate Pankaja Munde and NCP (SP) candidate Bajrang Sonavane, who are contesting from Maharashtra's Beed constituency, regarding irregularities in their election expenditures, according to officials. The constituency of Beed is scheduled for polls on May 13.

The BJP's Beed candidate reported her election expenses as Rs 2,73,038 from April 24 to May 2. However, an election official stated that according to expenditure inspector records, she actually spent Rs 8,68,101 during this period. The official further stated that irregularities of Rs 5,95,063 were discovered in her expenditure, an election official said on Monday.

Similarly, during the period from April 22 to May 2, Sonavane reported expenses of Rs 3,53,165. However, the records of the expenditure inspector reveal expenditures totaling Rs 8,84,459, indicating irregularities of Rs 5,31,294, as per the official's statement, as per a report on PTI.

From the date of filing nomination to the date of results, the officials said that every candidate should provide the correct account of their expenditures according to Section 77 of The Representation Of The People Act, 1951.

In a press note issued on Monday, District Election Officer and Collector Deepa Mudhol Munde announced that notices have been issued to Munde and Sonavane regarding their expenditures. They have been granted a 48-hour window to provide responses to the notices. Munde emphasized that if they fail to comply legal action will be pursued.

The election authorities have additionally issued notices to seven Lok Sabha candidates who failed to submit their expenditure records by May 4. These candidates, namely Karuna Dhananjay Munde, Sheshrao Veer, Gokul Sawase, Prakash Bhagwan Solanke, Rajendra Hoke, Shaikh Tausif Abdul Sattar, and Shaikh Ejaz, have been instructed to furnish their expenditure records within 48 hours, as stated by the official.