The coming general election will cost about 175 per cent more than the polls held in 2008.

According to an official document, the Election Commission has sought from the finance division Rs5.1 billion in supplementary grant for election expenses, whereas two previous polls together cost Rs3.3bn.The expenditure incurred on the 2002 elections was Rs1.45bn which increased by 27.22 per cent to Rs1.85bn in 2008.

About one-fourth (Rs1.259bn) of the grant sought by the ECP will be spent as election allowance and food charges for the polling staff. In 2008, Rs58.16 million was spent under the head and in 2002 Rs42.49m.An estimated Rs1bn will be spent on printing ballot papers, forms, envelopes, posters and placards.

Another Rs500m has been proposed to be set aside for army deployment at sensitive polling stations. In the last two elections, the allocation for the purpose was Rs120m and Rs195m.A hefty Rs450m has been sought for publicity, much more than Rs97.36m spent in 2008 and Rs96.62m in 2002.An amount of Rs87.5m will be spent on improvised polling stations. The amount was Rs2.98m in 2008 and Rs3.94m in 2002.

Another Rs148m is estimated to be spent on procurement of election material as against Rs41.48m and Rs23.9m in 2008 and 2002.Procurement and transport of ballot boxes and voting screens will cost Rs215m. In 2008, Rs18.27m was spent on transportation and no ballot boxes had apparently been procured. In 2002, Rs32m was spent on manufacturing ballot boxes and Rs10.6m on their repairs.An additional Rs21m will be spent on telephone lines for district returning officers and returning officers. The amount was Rs6.31m and Rs5.74m in the preceding polls.

Transport of election material is estimated to cost Rs480m as compared to Rs118.24m and Rs48.6m in 2008 and 2002.The other expected expenditures include Rs16.59m for office stationery for DROs and ROs, Rs90m honorarium for ECP employees, Rs76.88m for procurement of indelible ink, Rs750m for miscellaneous expenses by the ECP and provincial election commissions and Rs5m for training of DROs and ROs.

An ECP official said several factors which had contributed to the increase in election expenses, including a substantial increase in the number of polling stations, polling staff and voters and price hike.CODE OF CONDUCT: The Election Commission, which met here with Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim in the chair, approved the code of conduct for the elections after incorporating suggestions made by members of a Senate standing committee.

The amended code bars holders of public office, including the president and governors, from taking part in election campaign “in any manner whatsoever”. The president and governors have been included in the list for the first time. In the earlier draft they had been barred from combining their official visits with the election campaign, but after objections over the language apparently leaving room for them to take part in campaigning, the clause has been amended.

Briefing reporters, ECP Director General (Elections) Sher Afgan said ban on hoardings and banners was not part of the code as proposed by some members of the Senate committee.He said a summary had been sent to the law ministry for a legislation on mandatory voting and an electoral system where only a candidate polling absolute majority would win. He said the commission had prepared a draft proposing amendments to 23 electoral laws as it was difficult to get the comprehensive unified electoral law passed before the polls. He said an enhancement of sentences for corrupt practices had been proposed.

Answering a question, the official justified the ban on recruitments ahead of elections and diversion of allocated development funds and said that under Article 218 of the Constitution and a Supreme Court judgment the commission had the powers to take any appropriate steps, even before announcement of the election schedule, to ensure free, fair and transparent polls.He said the commission had decided to submit to the Supreme Court a list of 12 lawmakers who had been disqualified by the judiciary and 16 others who had resigned instead of filing fresh declarations about dual nationality.The commission had also decided to ask the district and sessions judges concerned to expedite the trial of over 30 lawmakers holding fake graduation degrees whose cases had been referred to them last year.