Samosa & chai for Rs 10, thali for Rs 100: EC sets rate chart for Lok Sabha campaign

Order samosas and tea for Rs 10 each, Rs 15 for coffee and cold drinks each, Rs 100 for a vegetarian thali, and Rs 180 for a non-vegetarian thali Well, that's the rate chart that political parties campaigning for the Lok Sabha election must follow for food and other expenses.

These costs, fixed by the district election department, add up to political party's overall spending, which cannot exceed Rs 95 lakh per Lok Sabha constituency, ToI reported.

The list of items includes fees for renting microphones, loudspeakers, vehicles, banners, chairs, and other equipment. There are different prices for vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals, breakfast, and snacks. Biscuits and water bottles are priced at their maximum retail price (MRP). Other items like kachori cost Rs 15, sandwiches cost Rs 25, and jalebi costs Rs 90 per kilogram.

Renting vehicles has specific rates: bikes cost Rs 300 per day, E-rickshaws cost Rs 600, SUVs like Tata Safari and Honda City cost Rs 3,000 per day, and larger SUVs like Toyota Innova, Toyota Fortuner, and Mitsubishi Pajero cost Rs 3,200 per day. Autos cost Rs 850 per day, and autos with loudspeakers cost Rs 1,350 per day.

For digital advertisements in multiplexes, the cost is Rs 463 per second in Noida and Greater Noida. Print advertisements range from Rs 50 to Rs 290 per square centimeter in newspapers. Renting a drone camera costs Rs 16,000 for every 15 minutes of use, and using a helipad for star campaigners costs Rs 2.3 lakh.

The election department consulted experts to create a list of 200 campaign items, including food rates from the food safety department and other rates from relevant departments. Candidates must get permission from the election department before organizing any events. The department sends teams to record events and analyse expenses to ensure candidates comply with spending limits.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India is closely monitoring SMS and voice call campaigns by political parties. These campaigns require prior clearance from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee. The Commission is working with telecom companies to trace spending on these campaigns to prevent exceeding election expenditure limits.

(with ToI inputs)