Samosa at Rs 10, luxury vehicle at Rs 5K per day: Karnal admn fixes poll expense rates

Parveen Arora

Karnal, March 31

Keeping in view the expenditure limits of candidates contesting the Lok Sabha and Karnal Assembly byelection, the district administration has fixed the rates of 195 items which will be used during the election process.

A comprehensive range of items has been assessed, including various vehicles such as luxury cars, three-wheelers, e-rickshaws, trucks and tempos, as well as items associated with tents, stationery and refreshments.

The rates have been fixed after a detailed review of market prices in rural and urban markets by a committee constituted by the Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer, Uttam Singh.

The committee has set daily rates for vehicles used in elections, including Rs 1,300 for jeeps, Rs 1,000 for Swift/Indigo, Rs 1,000 for tempo, Rs 2,000 for Scorpio, Rs 3,000 for Innova, Rs 5,000 for Thar, Jaguar, Audi, MG Hector, Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Range Rover and BMW; Rs 5,000 for a 20-seater Volvo bus, Rs 6,000 for a 32-seater Volvo bus, Rs 7,000 for a 48-seater Volvo bus and Rs 2,000 for tractor trailer. The rates for general buses have been set between Rs 3,000 and Rs 6,000 per day as per capacity.

The rates of a 10-wheeler truck will be Rs 6,000, a 14-wheeler truck at Rs 6,500 and 18-wheeler and above trucks at Rs 8,000, said DC Uttam Singh.

The rates have been fixed by the committee for e-rickshaws are Rs 800, for three-wheelers at Rs 1,200, Eco vans Rs 2,200 and for Tata 407 and small trucks at Rs 3,500 per day. Additionally, the committee has set a daily allowance of Rs 800 for a driver, the DC added.

The DC, while conducting a meeting of the representatives of political parties, emphasised that the Election Commission has capped election expenses at Rs 95 lakh for Lok Sabha candidates and Rs 40 lakh for byelection candidates.

The rates for flex boards to be used for promotional activities have been fixed from Rs 10 to Rs 30 per sq foot, and Rs 2,000 for e-rickshaw and three-wheeler sound system along with their operator, Rs 2,000 per day has been set. Refreshments such as tea at Rs 8 per cup, milk at Rs 10, and coffee at Rs 15, samosas and bread at Rs 10, pakoras at Rs 230 per kg, laddoos at Rs 150 per kg and biscuits at Rs 150 per kg have been set.

Singh urged political parties to mobilise youth participation in the electoral process through booth-level agents, stressing the importance of encouraging voter registration among the youth. “To uphold the integrity of the electoral process, rigorous measures have been undertaken, including door-to-door verification of voters and the removal of deceased and migrated individuals from the voter list,” said the DC.

Will ensure free and fair elections

To uphold the integrity of the electoral process, rigorous measures have been undertaken, including door-to-door verification of voters and the removal of deceased and migrated individuals from the voter list. The district administration is fully committed to conduct free and fair elections — Uttam Singh, Karnal DC