New Delhi: The poll expenditure reports of 16 % of Lok Sabha MPs for 2014 general elections do not match with those of their parties, according to a report by an election reform advocacy group released on Wednesday.
The discrepancy came to light when the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) analysed the expenditure reports of 539 of the 543 Lok Sabha members and compared them with spending reports submitted by the parties.
According to the report, 88 members of parliament, 70 of them from the BJP, claimed they received money from the party but it was not mentioned in the party accounts submitted to the Election Commission.
"A total of Rs 17.09 crores were declared as received by 88 MPs, 70 MPs from BJP, 11 from INC, 5 from CPI(M) and 1 each from NCP and CPI, and but their names are missing from the list of candidates to whom lumpsum amount was given by their parties," the report said.
The report also mentioned Smt Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, a BJP MP who had declared that she had received no lumpsum amount from her party whereas her party had declared that a total of Rs 15 lakhs was given to her for Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP MPs include junior finance minister Jayanth Sinha, who declared Rs 45 lakh; water resources minister Uma Bharti, who declared Rs 40 lakh; former HRD minister Murli Manohar Joshi, who declared Rs 38.50 lakh; Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who declared Rs 11 lakh; textile minister Santosh Gangawar, who declared Rs 20 lakh; and MP from Bansgoan in Uttar Pradesh Kamlesh Paswan, who declared Rs 30 lakh.
All contesting candidates are required to submit their expenditure statement to the ECI within 30 days of completion of elections and all registered political parties have to submit their expenditure within 90 days period.
