Candidates elected unopposed have to furnish details of election expenses: Bombay High Court

The court noted in its order that there was a trend among candidates to file nominations with much fanfare even before scrutiny and validation of their nomination.

The Bombay High Court's Aurangabad bench has ruled that even a candidate elected unopposed would have to submit an account of election expenses. A division bench of Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice SP Deshmukh noted in its order that there was a trend among candidates to file nominations with much fanfare, processions and even advertisements even before scrutiny and validation of their nomination. "Naturally, a lot of expenditure is involved in the same...on many occasions, candidates indulged in filing multiple nomination forms with a view to see that their candidature is not blocked or sidelined or held up on account of defect or deficiency in a form and at least one of the nomination forms would make them survive to stand in the fray," the bench pointed out.