Poll cost jumps 4 times
Staff Reporter :
The cost of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) election has exponentially increased by four-fold compared to the last general election with a span of five years.
In the past few general elections, the cost was even lesser than the current election to be held on Sunday.
Experts have opined that this is an unusual increase in cost for conducting the election when the opposition is absent from the race.
The cost of conducting election in each constituency will be approximately Taka seven crore.
However, the Election Commission (EC) has announced a huge budget for the 12th National elections to be held today (Sunday) and this amount will be given as two-day honorarium to the presiding-polling officers as well as the law enforcement forces in charge of polling.
EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said that about Tk 2,300 crore is being spent for holding the 12th National Polls.
“The EC will spend more than Taka seven crore for each constituency in this election.
The EC proposed to allocate about Tk 1,500 crore for election management and law and order sector.
Later, the demand for allocation has been increased and total expenditure reach around Tk 2,300 crore,” he told journalists.
According to EC officials, about 3,000 magistrates will be in the field to conduct the election.
Apart from it, the expenditure rises because of an increase in the number of law enforcement personnel and their deployment time, they said.
As per demands received from the law and order forces, the estimated cost is about Tk 1,025.62 crore while Tk 1050.60 crore for conducting election purposes, sources said.
There are total 300 seats in parliament and this time the cost per parliamentary seat will be more than seven crore taka.
Secretary of the Finance Division Md. Khairuzzaman Majumdar said that though the allocation was more than Tk 2000 crore to conduct the 12th parliamentary polls, but the budget has been increased due to extension of time, increase in the number of polling officers and employees etc.
According to Election Commission sources, presiding officer will get Tk.4000, assistant presiding officer Tk 3000 and polling officer will get Tk.2000 for one day. Each of the officials will get additional Tk 1,000 for travel purposes.
Apart from it, Tk.800 has been provided for each polling station for secret polling booths and enclosures. Magistrates or officers having the power of magistrates will get an allowance of Tk 9,000 per day for a total of five days including the two days before and after the elections. Besides, they will also to get Tk 1000 per day as staff allowance.
Apart from this, allowance will be given to the assistant officers to returning officer for bringing and taking the ballot papers.
As compared to the last 11th parliament polls of 2018,voters, polling stations and polling booths have increased in 2024.
Similarly polling officers, electoral officers, members of law and order forces and election equipment including ballot papers have also increased.
The extent of deployment of law and order forces has been increased from 10 days to 13 days.
A total of 11.97 crore voters are likely to cast their votes in 42,000 polling stations across the country.
More than 2.61 lakh polling booths have also been setup for the voters.
At least 15-17 security men will be in every polling centre to maintain law and order.
The Election Commission (EC) is presently organising the 11th general election, and recently revealed the it will need around Tk 700 crore to arrange polls, which is more than double the amount spent on the 10th general election.
In the 2014 general election, the commission said the nation spent Tk 283 crore, including Tk200 crore on maintaining law and order and Tk 83 crore on conducting the election in 147 constituencies, because the remaining 153 constituencies went uncontested.
The cost of previous 11 national elections were-over Tk 700 crore was allocated to conduct 11th parliamentary polls in 2018, about Tk 264.68 crore for 10th national polls in 2014, Tk 165 crore for ninth parliament election in 2008, Tk 72.71 crore for 8th national polls, Tk 11.47crore for 7th Parliamentary polls, Tk 37 crore for 6th national polls, Tk 24.37 crore for 5th parliamentary polls, Tk 5.15 crore for 4th national polls, Tk 5.16 crore for 3rd parliamentary polls, Tk 2.52 crore for 2nd national polls and Tk 3.52 crore was spent to conduct first parliamentary polls in 1973.
