Bihar assembly election 2025: Buying tea for the cadres would cost a part Rs 10 per cup, while a samosa, litti, rasgulla would each cost Rs 10 to political parties during the campaigning period for the Bihar assembly elections. The Election Commission India‘s (ECI) expenditure monitoring committee keeps an eye on the spends made by a party to ensure that everything falls within the set limit.
In every election, the issue of expenditure remains one of the biggest concerns with parties mostly crossing the limit, spending crores on political campaigns to woo the voters. Bihar being a critical state for ruling side, opposition and the rising third front – the ECI has set the record straight on the same.
From chai to hotel – EC sets limit on all
The campaigning for the elections take place at a local level with cadres working on the ground in villages, booths etc. During this, the parties spend money on breakfast, travel and accommodation of people to facilitate their campaigning – and hence the poll panel takes this into account as an election expenditure.
To limit this, the officials have reportedly decided prices for things like tea and coffee to ensure that parties do not go unchecked because of these expenditures.
According to a report in Jagran and local media, the authorities have set a price cap of Rs 10-15 for a cup of tea and coffee, samosa, a plat of litti and Rs 20 for a bottle of water among others.
For sweets, if the parties serve a small rasgulla, they will add Rs 10 in their expense and if it is a big one, the amount would be Rs 20. For a proper meal (veg or non veg), the price cap has been fixed in the range of Rs 100-200, the report added.
In hotel, the spends are fixed as:
- Normal AC/Non-AC room: Rs 1000-1500/day
- Double bed AC/Non-AC room: Rs 1500-2000/day
- Deluxe AC/Non-AC room: Rs 2000-2500/day
Prices set for stationery items, vehicles
Not just the eateries and accommodation, the price limit has also been fixed for stationery items the political parties would be using to make posters or pamphlets; and on the usage of vehicles.
Stationery Items
- Paper: ₹25 per ream
- Tags: ₹100 per bundle
- Carbon paper: ₹140
- Stapler pins: ₹12 per packet
- Computer paper: ₹210
- Scale (12 inch): ₹12 per piece
- Pins: ₹22 per packet
- Hole punch: ₹120 per piece
Vehicle Charges (Per Day)
- Bolero, Sumo, Marshal: ₹1,000
- Bolero, Sumo, Marshal (AC): ₹1,200
- Xylo, Scorpio, Qualis: ₹1,600
- Innova, Safari (AC): ₹1,800
- Pajero, Fortuner, other luxury vehicles: ₹2,500
- Bus (50-seater): ₹2,900
- Bus (40-seater): ₹2,600
- Tractor: ₹800
How much can political parties spend in Bihar elections?
The Election commission finalises the threshold of expenditure for the parties, and to spend over and above this amount, they will have to consult and inform the poll panel.
For every donation made to parties more than Rs 20,000, they will have to inform the election panel. The parties have to prepare and submit a report on the expenditure during the elections within 75 days of the completion of the election process in Bihar.
As for the candidates, the limit is Rs 95 lakh for Lok Sabha elections in big states. While in smaller states, the limit is Rs 75 lakh per candidate, reported ABP News. Similarly, for the state assembly polls, the officials have set a Rs 40 lakh limit per candidate in bigger states, and Rs 28 lakh in smaller ones.
The candidates, too, have to explain their expenses within 30 days after the completion of election to the top poll panel. cap is more or less set for each assembly/parliamentary constituency and for the respective candidates and not the parties.