No candidate contesting the Assam Assembly Election 2026 can spend more than Rs 40 lakh on their election campaign, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has confirmed.
The ceiling, revised by the Government of India on January 6, 2022, applies uniformly across all assembly constituencies in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Candidates in Puducherry face a lower cap of Rs 28 lakh.
Also Read: AJP Announces Candidates for 2026 Assam Assembly Election
To ensure financial transparency, the ECI has mandated that any election-related expenditure exceeding Rs 10,000 — whether by or on behalf of candidates or political parties — must be made through crossed account-payee cheques, demand drafts, RTGS, NEFT, or any other electronic mode linked to the candidate's designated election bank account.
Cash transactions above that threshold are not permitted.
Every contesting candidate is required to submit a true copy of their election expenditure account to the District Election Officer (DEO) within 30 days of the date of election of the returned candidate, under Section 78 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
DEOs are required to finalise candidate-wise scrutiny and summary reports by the 37th day after the declaration of results, forward them to the Chief Electoral Officer's office by the 38th day, and ensure they reach the Election Commission within 45 days of the result declaration.
DEOs must also obtain data entered into the expenditure monitoring software within three days of finalising the candidate-wise scrutiny reports.
The ECI has already deployed 50 expenditure observers across Assam to monitor candidate spending during the election period.
These observers will track campaign expenditure in real time and flag any violations of the prescribed ceiling or payment norms.
An online expenditure monitoring module has also been put in place to allow DEOs to submit scrutiny and summary reports digitally, in addition to physical submission to the commission.