In
the midst of a heated debate over demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suggested state funding of
polls, along with simultaneous Lok
Sabha and assembly elections, to improve transparency in public life and
combat corruption.
What is State or Public Funding
of Elections?
This means that Government gives funds to
political parties or candidates for contesting elections. Its
main purpose is to make it necessary for contestants to make money from
powerful moneyed interests so that they remain
clean.
For this to
happen, state funding needs to be accompanied by strict accounting and transparency. In some
countries, state funding is extended to meeting some specific form of spending
by political parties, not confined to
electioneering alone.
Who is Eligible for State
Funding?
The most common eligibility condition is share of votes gained
in the previous elections. In addition, number of seats in legislative bodies
is also used as a criterion.
Usually, a lower limit for votes or share
of votes is kept to prevent misuse of
the provision by floating new parties that contest large number of seats.
Subscribe now repco bank po exam question papers
