IT experts to track candidates' expenses

Taking a serious note of the flow of unaccounted money during polls, the Election Commission on Monday said it would deploy income tax experts to track expenses of candidates.

"A cell comprising experts drawn from the Income Tax Department will be set up in the Commission to deal with information on poll expenses of candidates," Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami said at a press conference.

He said the EC was highly concerned over the illegal use of money power in elections and violation of expenditure norms in various manners.

"The Commission has decided to track such incidents closely for follow up action," he said, adding that to strengthen the monitoring, the EC would be taking 'special steps'.

The CEC said it was mandatory for every contesting candidate to maintain and furnish accounts of his election expenditure.

Only the expenses on account of travel of leaders of political parties, whose names have been communicated to the EC, would be exempted from being included in the account of expenses of a candidate, he said.