Odisha politicos offer ideas to clean up poll funding process

To clean up the election funding process, Odisha’s political leaders, some of whom are challenging the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) 14-year rule, suggest removing limits on election expenditure and conducting elections within seven days of announcement.

Coastal Odisha — traditionally a BJD bastion — will go to the polls in 11 Lok Sabha and 77 Assembly constituencies on April 17.

Saumya Ranjan Patnaik, a former Congress MP from Bhubaneswar, who floated the Ama Odisha Party (AOP) a few months ago, rues that parties with not much funds at their disposal get “priced out in the democratic market.” Patnaik said the elections should be held within a week of announcement.

“Four days for notification of dates, nomination, withdrawal of nomination and finally voting. I think 75 per cent of the spending will be curtailed by this simple move. If I am a people’s representative, voters should know me. Why do you need posters, pamphlets, hoardings, banners, vehicles? If my people don’t know me, will they know me in 21 days by spending money,” asks Patnaik, who is contesting from the Khandapara Assembly constituency in Odisha. The expenditure limit for candidates contesting Assembly elections is ₹28 lakh.

However, Kharabela Swain, a former three-term BJP MP , who floated the Utkal Bharat Party four years ago, said the Election Commission should remove the expenditure limit. “The move would bring in transparency about the money being spent in elections at the very least,” says Swain, adding that he supports the move even though he cannot spend more than ₹10 lakh, or one-seventh of the ₹70-lakh limit set by Election Commission for a candidate.

The Commission should ensure that the ruling party does not get vindictive towards those firms which have given more donations to competing political parties, says Swain.

It is not just small parties that complain on the use of funds. Sucharita Mohanty, a former journalist who is the Congress candidate for Puri’s Lok Sabha constituency, has been telling voters, “Take the note, but vote for people who you think are correct.” Mohanty is pitted against BJD’s Pinaki Mishra, the richest candidate in Odisha, with assets of ₹137 crore.

BJD’s Baijayant Panda supports the idea of voluntarily publishing party donation details on the website as done by the Aam Admi Party. Panda indicated the BJD has discussed the issue internally, but declined to share details.

Candidates distribute goodies such free booze, cash, mutton and fish to win votesadmitted people in various places.

“What disturbs me is the role of money. Everything is purchasable, including votes. If you have no money, you have no role in our democratic system,” says Patnaik, who is also the editor of the Sambad newspaper.

Till the first phase of polls held last week in Odisha, the Election Commission had seized ₹16 lakh in cash, over one lakh litres of liquor, and about 7.5 kg of drugs.

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