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In Chandigarh, Tandon spent ₹56 lakh on poll campaign, 12% more than Tewari
Both these political heavyweights stayed within the limit of ₹75 lakh, as per the poll expenditure updated on the Chandigarh election department’s website
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BJP’s Sanjay Tandon spent ₹56 lakh on fighting for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, 12% higher than Congress’ Manish Tewari ( ₹50 lakh), who went on to clinch victory by a narrow margin of 2,504 votes.
Both these political heavyweights stayed within the limit of ₹75 lakh, as per the poll expenditure updated on the Chandigarh election department’s website. BSP’s Ritu Singh spent ₹9.25 lakh on her campaign.
Elections in Chandigarh were held in the seventh and final phase on June 2, while the results were declared on June 4.
Media campaigning got attention from both
Both candidates spent heavily on campaigning in electronic and print media, with Tewari relying on radio, spending over ₹4 lakh on the medium. Considering his hold on colonies, this was not a surprise.
Tandon also opened his purse for media advertisements, spending ₹6.85 lakh here.
After this preliminary information, a look at the expense details reveals interesting trends and tidbits. For instance, Tandon hired a salaried photographer for his campaign; his Jan Sabha banner and stage set-up together cost him ₹47,200 on May 28; while a padyatra to Bapu Dham Colony was billed at ₹1,900 the previous day.
In terms of the candidate’s vehicle, Tandon spent ₹80,000 on it, with Tewari’s expenses on it being reported at ₹36,000.
BJP doubled up on star campaigners
With over half a dozen star campaigners visiting the city in support of Tandon, he spent ₹7.2 lakh on this part of the canvassing, against Tewari’s ₹3.9 lakh.
In all, no other candidate could match Tewari and Tandon in loosening the purse strings for the election. Both spent almost the same on major heads, except for the star campaigner effort from Tandon.
