Jaipur: The Rajasthan State Election Commission (SEC) has capped campaign expenditure for candidates and sanctioned Rs 10.31 crore for conducting elections in 10 municipal corporations, with Jaipur receiving the highest allocation for the 2026 urban local body polls.As per the SEC guidelines, candidates contesting municipal corporation ward elections can spend up to Rs 3.5 lakh, while the limit is Rs 2.5 lakh for municipal council candidates and Rs 1.5 lakh for municipality candidates. All candidates must submit detailed election expenditure accounts within 15 days of the declaration of results.The commission has also tightened campaign norms. Municipal corporation candidates can use a maximum of three vehicles, municipal council candidates two, and municipality candidates one, subject to prior approval. Buses, trucks, minibuses, and animal-drawn vehicles will not be allowed for campaigning. Posters, banners and hoardings will require prior permission, while loudspeakers will be prohibited within 100 metre of hospitals, schools and religious places during the 48 hour silence period before polling.The SEC has allocated Rs 10.31 crore to meet election expenses, including polling personnel, transportation, videography, ballot paper printing, barricading, lighting, sound systems, refreshments, honorariums and other logistical arrangements.Jaipur Municipal Corporation has received the highest allocation of nearly Rs 3.97 crore, reflecting the scale of the exercise with 2,205 polling booths. Jodhpur has been allotted Rs 1.30 crore, while Ajmer has received the lowest allocation of Rs 7.05 lakh.The commission has directed district election officers to use the funds only for approved purposes, make payments online wherever feasible, and clear all election-related financial liabilities within one month of completion of the poll process.
