VIJAYAWADA: Observing that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has failed to control the indiscriminate distribution of money by the political parties in fray in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP demanded the appointment of Special Expenditure Observers to monitor the poll expenditure in the State.
BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao further alleged that the TDP and the YSRC were ready to spend up to Rs 10,000 crore this election.
In a press conference held in New Delhi on Friday, the BJP MP and national spokesperson accused the TDP of selecting MP candidates, who were ready to spend Rs 70 crore to Rs 125 crore in their respective constituencies.
“The TDP for upcoming election has fielded candidates who have capacity of spending minimum of Rs 70 crore in their parliamentary segments, which is against the norms set by ECI that a candidate can spend only Rs 70 lakh. With this, the YSRCP is left with no other option than spending money. Parties like us (BJP) wants to fight the election transparently have no level-playing field left because of this. So, we will give a representation to the ECI for the appointment of special expenditure observers and special squads to curb the illegal activities,” he added, noting that the TDP and the YSRC may spend anywhere between `6,000 crore and Rs 10,000 crore to influence the voters.