New Delhi: Government’s expenditure on conducting elections has gone up by a whopping 80 times to nearly Rs 850 crore in the last 60 years. A total of Rs 10.45 crore was spent on the country’s first election in 1952. As much as Rs 846.66 crore was spent during last general elections in 2009, according to data released by the government.

The entire expenditure on actual conduct of elections to Lok Sabha is borne by the government, and such expenditure on elections to state legislatures by the respective state governments, when such elections are held independently.