EC requests RBI to enhance withdrawal limits of candidates contesting polls

New Delhi [India], Jan. 29 (ANI): The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday yet again requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to enhance the cash withdrawal limit of the candidates contesting elections in the five poll bound states of Punjab, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur. This development came four days after the poll panel asked the central bank to enhance the cash withdrawal limit for candidates from Rs. 24,000 to Rs. two lakh a week till the declaration of results on March 11. "The Election Commission has expressed serious concerns about the cursory manner in which this issue has been dealt with and it appears that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not realized the gravity of the matter. Therefore, it is reiterated that it is the constitutional mandate of the ECI to conduct free and fair elections and to provide level playing field to all candidates," the letter read. In the letter, the Election Commission has desired that current limit on cash withdrawal for candidates for the forthcoming elections may be enhanced in order to ensure that they are able to defray election expenditure up to the statutory limits. The poll panel further requested the candidates to incur their election expenses by account payee cheque or RTGS/NEF'T for all payments made to any person exceeding Rs. 20,000 during the entire election process.(ANI)