2025 local body polls: election expenditure limits for candidates remain unchanged

As Kerala moves towards the 2025 local body polls, the State Election Commission has decided to keep the expenditure limit for candidates unchanged.

The commission has not revised the limits in urban and rural local bodies from that of the 2020 local body elections on the grounds that all candidates should enjoy a level playing field.

In the grama panchayats, a candidate can spend up to ₹25,000. In the block panchayats and municipalities, the ceiling is set at ₹75,000. For candidates contesting in the district panchayat wards and the corporation, the limit is ₹1.5 lakh.

The 2020 general elections to the local bodies in Kerala had the same limits for the candidates.

Announcing the election schedule here on Monday (November 10), State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan termed the commission’s decision to keep the expenditure limits unchanged as “practical.” “There should be a level playing field for rich and poor candidates,” he said.

Just before the 2020 elections, the commission had enhanced the election expenditure limits of candidates. For candidates in the grama panchayats, the ceiling was raised from ₹10,000 to ₹25,000. In the blocks and municipalities, it has been increased from ₹30,000 to ₹75,000; and in the corporations and district panchayats, from the current ₹60,000 to ₹1.5 lakh.

Mr. Shajahan said that all candidates are required to submit the details of their election expenditure within 30 days of the announcement of results. For the 2025 elections, the results will be out on December 13 after the two-phase polls on December 9 and 11.

Candidates who fail to furnish details of their election expenditure can be disqualified for a period of five years. Mr. Shajahan said that the commission had disqualified close to 10,000 candidates for failing to furnish their expenses after the 2020 elections. In all, 74,899 candidates were in the fray for the local body elections in 2020.