The additional expenditure of this magnitude will have a deleterious impact on the 1999-2000 budget which attempted to bring down the fiscal deficit to 4 per cent from 4.5 per cent in the previous year. The impact of the general elections on the government finances will be much more telling as the union government will not be able to raise budgeted Rs 10,000 crore from disinvestment of the public sector equity in view of subdued stock market conditions which are likely to persist because of uncertain political climate.During the last general elections, held a year ago in February 1998, the government had spent about Rs 800 crore but unfortunately the 12th Lok Sabha instead of completing its full term of five years lasted only 13 months.

The number of electorates eligible to participate in theforthcoming general elections to be held later in the year were also likely to go up marginally to about 60.6 crore from 60.5 crore in the previous general elections.

The cost of funding elections had soared many folds in the last five decades. The first general elections (1952) in which 17.3 crore electorate were eligible and 10.6 crore exercised their franchise, cost the exchequer only Rs 10.45 crore.

Since then there has been no looking back. The number of eligible electorates are likely to go up by more than three times to 60.6 crore.

However, the expenses is slated to go up by about 100 times in 1999 with the burden to the exchequer likely to be in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 crore.

Interestingly, the number of candidates during the last general elections in 1998 were significantly less than in the previous elections in 1996. While during 1996 as many as 13,952 candidates contested for 543 Lok sabha seats. The number came down to 4,693 candidates in 1998. This became possible because thegovernment imposed tougher conditions to get rid of non-serious candidates.

The number of candidates this time too was not likely to much more. However, there will be no let up in the cost of security to be provided to the candidates who shall be contesting the general elections to the 13th Lok Sabha.