Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday allowed Shiv Sena (UBT) to accept public contributions.
In its communication today, EC authorised Uddhav Thackeray's party to "accept any amount of contribution voluntarily offered to it by any person or company other than a government company".
The poll body has allowed Uddhav Sena to do so in compliance with Section 29 B and Section 29C of the Representation of People Act, 1951, which governs the contribution to all political parties and ensures transparency and accountability in their funding.
This authorisation would strengthen the financial base of Shiv Sena (UBT), playing a crucial role in the poll preparations as his party is set to contest the upcoming assembly elections, slated to be held later this year.
What Is The Representation Of The People Act, 1951?
The Representation of the People Act, 1951 is a key legislative framework that was introduced in the Parliament by Dr B R Ambedkar. It was enacted for the first time before the maiden general election by the provisional parliament under Article 327 of the Constitution.
The act regulates the conduct of elections of both the Houses of Parliament and of the Legislature of each State.
It also regulates the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of the Houses, political party funding, corrupt practices and other offences, and decision regarding doubts and disputes that might arise in connection with the elections.
Sections 29B and 29C deal with the acceptance of contributions and the reporting of these contributions to the ECI by political parties.
With this Thackeray's Sena would be equipped with the necessary resources to carry out various political activities, including conducting campaigns.
Maharashtra Assembly polls 2024 will be conducted to elect the 288 members of the the state's Legislative Assembly as the current tenure will end on November 26.