Candidates to bear expenses on ads benefitting them : EC

Lucknow, Mar 30 (UNI) The Election Commission today said expenditure of any advertisement issued by a political party which directly or indirectly helped a candidate would be borne by the latter.

In a fresh directive, the EC said while political parties would pay for general type of advertisements issued by them, the candidates would have to bear the expenditure of any publicity issued in his or her name.

It was now being debated whether Chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav would have to bear the expenses of advertisements that Samajwadi Party was issuing with his pictures. Mr Yadav is contesting the forthcoming assembly elections from Bharthana (Etawah) and Gunnaur (Badaun).

While BSP supremo and former chief minister Mayawati is not contesting elections, the BSP is showing her photographs in their ads. Similarly, while BJP leader and former chief minister Kalyan Singh too is not contesting, his party is projecting him as the next Chief Minister of UP.

UNI