EC issues show-cause notices to the BJP and Congress for not filing poll expenditure statement

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Friday issued show-cause notices to the BJP, Congress and 13 state parties for not filing their poll expenditure statement for Lok Sabha election 2014 within the stipulated timeframe.
The defaulters’ list includes Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Haryana Janhit Congress, Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Asom Gana Parishad, All India N R Congress, People’s Party of Arunachal, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Kerala Congress (M), National People’s Party, and United Democatic Party (UDP).
The EC, in separate letters to the top leadership of aforesaid parties, said it was giving the parties a final opportunity to comply with its instructions and file the said expenditure statement within the next fortnight. In case the parties still don’t pay heed, the Commission hinted at the possibility of moving to suspend or withdraw their recognition for failing to follow its lawful instructions.
As per the Commission’s instructions issued in view of the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Common Cause Vs Union of India and Others, all political parties are required to file expenditure statement for Lok Sabha elections within 90 days. The deadline for this year’s Lok Sabha poll had expired on August 26.
Underlining that the two leading national parties, BJP and Congress, as well as the 13 defaulting state parties were issued reminders on October 22 to file the said Lok Sabha poll expenditure statements, the Commission regretted that the parties were yet to do the needful.
"Your attention is invited to Para 16A of the Election Commission’s Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, which envisages action against violations of lawful instructions of the commission," EC undersecretary Malay Mallick warned the defaulting parties.