Maharashtra leads the west zone states with maximum number of candidates failing to file their election expenditure certificates, chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi said today.

The Chief Election Commissioner said 307 candidates who contested state Assembly elections and 99 candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra have failed to file the election expenditure certificates.

He said 28 candidates from assembly elections and 55 from Lok Sabha elections have been disqualified while notices were issued to the rest.

"If the candidate fails to file the expenditure he is disqualified for three years from contesting any polls," the chief election commissioner said.

He was briefing media after chairing zonal conference of Chief Electoral Officers from the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Election commissioner of India, V S Sampath was also present for the briefing held here this afternoon.

As per the statistics, Quraishi said Madhya Pradesh is the second in the list to have maximum number of candidates faulting on the mandatory criteria.

In Madhya Pradesh, 101 candidates in state Assembly elections have not submitted their election expenditure and all have been issued notices, he said.

Gujarat has 40 candidates in general Assembly elections failing to give the certificates of which 38 stands disqualified. Dadra and Nagar Haveli had one such candidate who is disqualified, he said.

Quraishi said there were no cases reported from Goa and Daman and Diu.