Election cost: Rising trend

India's national spending on health care, education and judiciary oscillated around 2.5, 4.97,  one per cent of GDP respectively which is lower than that of countries like US, UK, China and Japan. But then there is one arena in which India is a world-class spender where it would be tough to find anyone who would agree that we get equally world-class value for our money. We are referring here to our stale electoral system, which has resulted in a legislature that hardly attracts 57 per cent of total registered voters across India.

A study conducted by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) explored that 2009 Lok Sabha Polls in India had cost more than what Barack Obama and other candidates spent in the US Presidential election in 2008. As per the US Federal Election Commission, Obama and others collectively spent around $1.8 billion (Rs. 8,000 crore) in that election while CMS revealed that India spent a staggering $2 billion (Rs. 10,000 crore) to elect the government in 2009. At the same time, India spent the gargantuan amount of money in a matter of a few months while the cost of US elections was spread over a year. Moreover, the spending saw more than a 100 per cent increase as compared to the previous general elections held in 2004 where about Rs. 4,500 crore were spent. Similarly, India spent Rs. 3,200 crore in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections compared to Rs. 2,200 crore back in 1996. Voting turnout had increased to 62.1 per cent in 1998 from 57.9 per cent in 1996 but then the rate declined substantially to 59.9 per cent in 1999 and 58.1 per cent in 2004. As per various media sources, voting turnout in 2009 was estimated to be around 57 per cent compared to an average voting turnout of 62 per cent in US. The trend vividly highlights how in spite of diminishing voting turnout, cost of elections has increased exponentially over the years which boils down to 70 per cent increment with each passing election.

The global scenario does not reflect a bright picture either. US crossed the billion dollar mark in election spending for the first time in 2008 Presidential election. Presidential election had cost US about $880 million in 2004 against $525 million in 2000 and $425 million in 1996. Similar surge in the cost of UK parliamentary elections has also been observed. UK Parliamentary Secretary Mark Harper estimated the cost of the 2010 election to be around £113 million while the last general election cost the country around £80 million. But a few countries like Australia and Canada have been able to check their election costs not for a long time but at least in a certain election. Australia witnessed a slightly lower expenditure in House of Representatives & half-senate elections 2010 – around $161 million against $163 million spent in 2007. On the same lines, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada estimated the cost of the 41st General Election 2011 to be around $291 million, a slight decline from the cost of 2008 election which was pegged at roughly $300 million.

In a democratic system, forming a government is becoming more and more expensive with each passing year. Going by the trend, the next Lok Sabha Election in 2014 would cost India nothing less than Rs. 17,000 crore. While the country is already suffering from social malaises, it makes less sense to spend this mammoth amount on election, especially when successive government has failed to address these issues. Over all, be it economically or non-economically, the RoI of vote is decreasing, year-on-year!