Election campaign undertaken by BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Coimbatore in the run up to the April 24 Lok Sabha elections was the “costliest” in the constituency as opposed to those undertaken by AIADMK leader and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK president M Karunanidhi.
Expenditure statements filed by candidates revealed that the BJP Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency candidate C P Radhakrishnan had spent `20,75,750 for organising the public meeting at the Codissia Grounds on Avinashi Road for Modi’s campaign on April 16. The Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi leader E R Eswaran, who contested on the BJP’s ‘Lotus’ symbol from the Pollachi Parliamentary constituency spent `14,05,000 as his share for the same meeting.
Well, this is what the two candidates have revealed in their preliminary expenditure statements submitted to the EC. On the other hand, for Modi’s novel 3D hologram campaign in the city, Radhakrishnan spent a mere `20,850.
When one or more candidate participates in a common public meeting, the expenditure incurred by organising the road show is divided among them as per EC rules. In contrast, the DMK’s election meeting addressed by Karunandihi on April 5 cost his party’s Coimbatore candidate K Ganeshkumar only `6,01,350. The party’s Pollachi candidate Pongalur N Palanisamy has submitted that his share of expenses for the meeting was only `4,33,334.
The DMK head office had in the beginning of April transferred `50 lakh each to the two candidates for electioneering works.
The AIADMK’s Coimbatore and Pollachi candidates A P Nagaraj and C Mahendran submitted that they spend only `3 lakh each for public meetings addressed by Jayalalithaa in their respective constituencies. As per rules, a candidate can spend up to `70 lakh for a Parliamentary election including their nomination deposit amount. The EC separately maintains a shadow register to keep track of the expenses of candidates.
The major election expenditure of all candidates was on opening of election office of candidates, vehicle hire charge, diesel, petrol, speaker hire charge and food items supplied to their cadres.