Election Commission prepares expenditure list

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, February 16

There are 201 items on the list prepared by the Election Commission in the district, for which prices have been fixed and candidates can’t show price less than the mentioned to lower their expenditure limit which cannot exceed more than Rs40 lakh.

A siropa would cost Rs90 per piece besides a garland would cost only Rs15. In the list published by the commission, 69 items are related to the charges of furniture, tent house, light, sound and other related paraphernalia. At least Rs2,750 will be counted in account of the candidate if he installs a stage for a rally. Each chair costs at least Rs9 and green carpet Rs165 per piece.

An auto-rickshaw with horn for advertisement costs Rs2,200 whereas a cycle rickshaw costs Rs1,650 per day. Sound system with two box speakers and amplifier, micro phone come at a cost of Rs3,300.

Hiring an auto carriage and bus will cost Rs1,320 and Rs4,900, respectively, whereas a car will cost Rs825 per day.

Nine food items are also listed. Bean di barfi is on menu for Rs220 per kg, laddo Rs130 per kg, jalebi Rs150 per kg and bread pakora Rs10. A tea cup and coffee cup would cost Rs12 and 1liter milk Rs45 in the record of Election Commission. A parantha will cost Rs. 25 and samosa with sauce Rs. 15. Different kinds of snacks vary from Rs. 10 to Rs. 30 per plate.

There are items which candidates are bound to spend on, but these can hardly be found in election rallies. Candidates are supposed to spend good amount on making sure that sanitation, masks and soap are provided at rallies to keep Covid-19 at bay. Hand sanitisers cost Rs. 100 for 500 ml. Face shield would cost Rs. 35, N95 masks Rs. 43, surgical masks Rs. 3 and soap Rs. 40 for 150 gm. Subash Sharma, an activist, said though candidates had not been using these items in their rallies, they were mentioning these in the expenditure register to prove they were following the protocol.