The national elections in India kicked off on April 19th. There are around 96.8 crore eligible voters for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in seven phases across various states over a period of six weeks. The polls will conclude on the 1st of June and the results will be announced on the 4th of June.
As the Election Commission says, it's “a mammoth exercise in democracy which is world’s largest electoral movement of man and material.” To hold an election of this magnitude requires meticulous planning and of course comes at a significant cost.
The cost of organising the Lok Sabha elections has seen a significant increase over the years. India's first election was held in 1951-52 which spanned 68 phases was reportedly at a cost of ₹10.5 crore. However, by 2014, the cost of conducting the national elections surged to over ₹3870 crore. And the 2019 elections cost dramatically increased to a whopping ₹50,000 crore as per a report by the centre of Media Studies. And as per reports, basis their previous years trends, the 2024 elections could cost double of what the 2019 election cost, which works out to a staggering ₹1 lakh crore.
With almost every election, the costs have expanded along with an increase in the number of eligible voters. From 17.32 crore eligible voters in 1952 to 91.2 crore in 2019 and 96.8 crore in 2024. The election commission spent 6 paise per elector in 1951 which increased to Rs 46 in 2014.
So what are the main heads under which the Election Commission spends? From deploying resources, officials and armed personnel, setting up of polling booths, administrative costs to awareness programs and electronic voting machines, are just some of the areas where the money is spent. However, procuring EVMs forms a major part of the expenses. In Budget 2024, ₹1891 crore was allocated for EVMs with an additional ₹611 crore proposed during the Winter session.
So who bears the cost of the elections? The central government bears the cost of the national elections, similarly when state elections are conducted, it is the state government which bears the cost.