Uttarakhand polls to cost Rs 50 cr

DEHRADUN: It will cost the Election Commission of India (ECI) an estimated Rs 50 crore to hold Lok Sabha polls in five parliamentary constituencies in Uttarakhand on May 7 this year. The commission had spent around Rs 30 crore during the last general election in 2009, said senior officials.
Uttarakhand's chief electoral officer, Radha Raturi told TOI that over Rs 15 crore of the total budget has been earmarked for the state police department alone."We will be spending close to Rs 7 lakh of the remaining amount in ferrying 1,500 EVMs to our polling booths station. The rest of the money will be spent on miscellaneous expenses like the stationery, TA/DA of over 50,000 officials on election duty, fuel, vehicle rents and other necessary expenses," Raturi added.