LAHORE, Oct 8: With only two days left for the polling for the national and provincial assemblies elections, the candidates all over the country have drawn heavy amounts from their banks to meet the polling expenses.

The Election Commission had fixed Rs1.5 million limit for each candidate but much more amount was being spent. Every candidate has to provide money for the polling agents and other staff, required at each of the polling stations — about 100 to 150 in a constituency depending upon its size.

There are about 7,200 candidates in the run — 2,100 for the national and 5,100 for the four provincial assemblies. If each candidate spends the EC fixed amount, about Rs15 billion would be spent on the election by the polling date.

Keeping in view the rising prices of various commodities and things for electioneering and the heavy amounts already spent on publicity and canvassing, each candidate would be spending at least double the limit i.e. about Rs3 million or even more in case of national assembly candidate.

The total expenditure by all the candidates is estimated to be Rs30 billion.

The Election Commission has not so far released the government’s estimate on expenditure on the election. Keeping in view the around Rs2 billion expenditure the government had incurred on the president’s colourless referendum on April 30 this year, it is estimated that the Oct 10 election may cost well over Rs10 billion. Thus the whole election expenditure for 849 general, 272 National Assembly and 577 provincial assemblies seats would be around Rs40 billion.

Thus on the average each assembly seat would cost the nation about Rs47 to Rs50 million.

Circulation of such a heavy amount within one-and-a-half month is certainly in the interest of the people as it would going to their pockets and has already generated a great economic activity in the otherwise recession-hit and dull economic scenario.

The money much of which, of course, is black and ill gotten, kept hidden in the coffers for the past many years, has come out for the benefit of the common man.

This is one good aspect of the elections of the assemblies which may or may not survive after the restoration of Article 58-2 (b) of the Constitution, empowering the president to do away them as and whenever he pleases.