Voter awareness campaigns, distribution of voter slip ahead of election date, use of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail for the first time in these polls pushed the expenditure further.
According to the Election Commission, the cost of conducting the general elections had already witnessed a 20-fold increase in 2009 as against the first polls held in 1952.
In 1952, the cost was 60 paise per elector which became Rs 12 in 2009.
Considering expenditure in absolute terms, Rs 10.45 crore was spent in 1952, while Rs 1483 crore was the amount government spent for 2009 polls.
The 2004 Lok Sabha elections cost the government exchequer about Rs 1,114 crore spent in the exercise. In 2004, per voter cost was Rs 17 per elector.
