Aspirants rush to clear tax dues, obtain NOCs ahead of candidature filing

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

As soon as the dates for the municipal corporation elections were announced, aspirants from all political parties began their preparations. The filing of nomination forms will start from December 23. Before that, aspirant candidates are required to obtain clearance certificates showing no outstanding dues for property tax and water tax from all zonal offices, as well as a no-dues certificate from the accounts section at the municipal corporation headquarters. As a result, most aspirants and their supporters are rushing from office to office.

Over the past three days, more than 200 aspirants have already been issued no-dues certificates by the municipal corporation. This number is expected to rise to around 1,500 in the coming days.

The municipal corporation elections are being held after 2015, and therefore, indications suggest that the number of aspirant candidates will increase significantly. This year, the elections will not be held under the ward system but under the prabhag (multi-member ward) system. A total of 29 prabhags have been formed to elect 115 corporators. Four corporators will be elected from each of 28 prabhags, while three corporators will be elected from the 29th prabhag.

All political parties have begun processes such as accepting applications and conducting interviews for candidacy. Consequently, most aspirants are striving to secure party tickets. In addition, before filing nomination forms, candidates must submit receipts showing payment of property tax and water tax. Whether or not the property is in the candidate’s own name, obtaining a no-dues certificate is mandatory. For this, candidates must visit all 10 zonal ward offices located in different parts of the city. Besides this, a no-dues certificate must also be obtained from the municipal corporation headquarters.

Demand for a single-window system

To avoid inconvenience to candidates or their supporters, several other municipal corporations in the state have introduced a single-window system, where candidates receive no-dues certificates from various municipal corporation sections at one place. Candidates are demanding that the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) should also implement a similar single-window system.

Provision for expenditure of ₹11 lakh

This year, candidates are permitted to spend up to ₹11 lakh on election expenses. However, the rules and conditions are very strict. Candidates must open an account in a nationalised bank and show all expenses only through that account. Income tax returns for the past three years are mandatory. As a result, candidates are feeling increasingly stressed and overwhelmed.