The elections in Uttar Pradesh in February next year will cost around Rs 300 crore and will be the most expensive election till date.
The estimated cost of Rs 300 crore includes the expenses involved on deployment and transportation of para-military and central forces. In the 2007 assembly polls, a sum of Rs 127 crore had been spent on para-military and central forces but the amount is expected to rise considerably due to the hike in prices of petrol and diesel.
According to sources, in the state Election Commission, a vast sum of money is expected to be spent on installation of video cameras during campaigning and polling.
“The number of voters has increased from 11.19 crore to 12.58 crore which means that there will be an increase of about 9,000 polling stations. Besides, the Election Commission has earmarked a sum of Rs 5 crore on voter awareness programmes that will be launched shortly,” said an EC official. Besides, a considerable sum of money is being spent on information dissemination, computerisation of incoming and outgoing information and Webcasting. The EC will be using the EVM tracking system which will go a long way in ensuring free polls.