The State Election Commission (SEC) is introducing a new system that will ensure that candidates contesting local body polls get their election deposits refunded on time.
Under the new system, candidates will need to fill in a separate form and submit it along with their nomination papers. The new form will be introduced during the local body bypolls on May 17.
Once it is submitted, candidates who are eligible to get their money refunded after the elections need not apply again.
In March this year, the commission had issued guidelines for ensuring timely refund of the deposits.
Victorious candidates and candidates who claim more than one-sixth of the valid votes polled are eligible to get their deposits back within three months.
Deposits will be returned within a week of the publication of the list of candidates to those who withdraw their nominations or are rejected. If a candidate passes away before the polling, the refund will be made to the legal heir. The deposits of all other candidates will be transferred to the panchayats and municipalities concerned.
