MADURAI: Sellur K Raju and Dr Saravanan -- AIADMK candidates for the Madurai West and North Assembly constituencies, respectively – submitted a petition to the Madurai district election officer on Sunday, seeking a revision of rates in the price chart for calculating the election expenditure of the candidates.
Sellur Raju claimed that the “steep rates” need to be adjusted based on the specific cost of items in each district, as the prices vary greatly from district to district.
Raju told mediapersons, “The rate chart for poll expenses needs to be reworked. For instance, the price of a cotton flag has been fixed at Rs 258, though the typical price ranges between Rs 90 and Rs 100. Similarly, the fee for hosting an event at the community hall, owned by the Madurai Corporation, has been fixed at Rs 60,000. Previously, such high amounts were not charged, as the fee for hosting events generally stood between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000. Additionally, the cost of breakfast, regardless of the items, has been fixed at Rs 93 per plate.”
Further, Raju said that several problems related to the electoral rolls still persist.
He said, “In the Madurai West constituency, a significant number of voters remain listed, despite not having cast their votes for three consecutive elections. Moreover, instances of double entries have been identified in multiple areas. Also, names of deceased individuals continue to appear on the electoral rolls. Polling booths have been established at distant locations, up to three kilometers away, instead of being set up in accessible government schools. Further, local police officers are allegedly showing bias in favour of the ruling party members in Jaihindpuram.”
He sought the intervention of the district election officer in addressing the issues and alleged official inaction despite complaints.
Responding to the complaint, an official from the district administration said that the election committee of the Election Commission of India (ECI) fixes both the wholesale and retail prices of the items. “District-level officials do not have a role in fixing the prices. We will soon submit a petition regarding this issue with the ECI officials at the Chennai headquarters,” added the official.