41. Are there limits on the amount a candidate can spend?

Reuters (2019) Factbox: India's elections - Rules on campaign financing and spending. Available at:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-election-spending-factbox/factbox-indias-elections-rules-on-campaign-financing-and-spending-idUSKCN1S7398 (Accessed: 10 April 2020).

Vaishnav, M. (2017). When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics.  Yale University Press. P.30.

The maximum limit of expenses for candidates is different between parliamentary and assembly elections. It also differs for some of the Indian states.

The expenditure ceiling is a maximum of 7 million rupees (or $ 106,000) and 2.8 million rupees ($42,000) for parliamentary and assembly elections, respectively (although the precise limit varies by the size of the state). Any expenditure by a third party (to include political parties) in connection with a candidate is attributed to the candidate, but third parties can spend without limit on promoting the “party’s program”(Vaishnav, p.30).