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Lok Sabha elections 2019: Delhi candidates can hire an elephant for Rs 5K, horse for Rs 2.5K
How much does it cost to hire an elephant or a horse in Delhi? Or get a priest, who would come with flowers to perform a puja? According to the rate fixed, it is Rs 5,000 for hiring an elephant, Rs 2,500 for a horse and Rs 552 to get a priest.
How much does it cost to hire an elephant or a horse in Delhi? Or get a priest, who would come with flowers to perform a puja?
If you are a candidate contesting the Lok Sabha elections in any of the seven parliamentary constituency then you will have to abide by a rate list fixed for you by the district electoral officers.
According to the rate fixed, it is Rs 5,000 for hiring an elephant, Rs 2,500 for a horse and Rs 552 to get a priest.
According to the Election Commission of India, the district electoral officers are supposed to prepare rate charts for purchasing and hiring various items – from a samosa to a plate of chole kulche to renting lights, fans, a vehicle and even hiring a priest – which a candidate is likely to use during his campaign. The expenditure is monitored and calculated accordingly by the poll panel.
A candidate contesting the Lok Sabha polls can spend between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 70 lakh, depending on the state they are contesting the election from. It is Rs 70 lakh for Delhi and Rs 54 lakh for other Union territories.
But are all the rates realistic?
“Some of our horses are hired during elections. The rate of hiring a good quality horse for around two hours can go up to R 10,000. If anyone says they can provide a horse on hire for Rs 2,500, it is probably cause it is not a horse but a mule. Or if it is a horse, then it will be either weak and lean or diseased,” said Bhagwad Prasad, proprietor of Sohanlal and Sons Ghoriwala, who runs his business from BK Dutt Colony near Lodhi gardens.
Mehboob Ali, a resident of Sangam Vihar in Wazirabad, who owns one elephant said: “A few years ago my uncle, who owned the elephant then, had rented it out for Rs 30,000 to a marriage party in Gurgaon.”
“Even though we have included the provisional rates for hiring elephants and horses, if we get any such requisition we will first consult the forest department to check whether such elephants and horses could be allowed during political campaigns. Only then we will give permission and calculate the expenditure,” said Satyendra Singh, returning officer of North West constituency.
According to the rate charts submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi by the returning officers, the cost of a samosa and a morning tea, which comes with two biscuits, could vary anywhere between Rs 9 and Rs 11 across Delhi. The rates for a plate of chole kulche and a sandwich has been fixed between Rs 13 and Rs 15.
“Elaborate rate charts are prepared by the district election officers after consulting with the political parties and taking into consideration the present cost of each item in the respective districts. There is always an uniformity in all the rate charts with minor differences between two constituencies,” said a officer from the Delhi CEO’s office.
For example, the rate of chole kulche and sandwich have been fixed at Rs 13 in west Delhi while their cost has been fixed at Rs 15 in south Delhi.
“A samosa cost Rs 12, whereas a plate of chole bature sells for Rs 50. While a two-layered sandwich costs Rs 20, a three-layered sandwich comes at Rs 25,” said Veeru Gurjar from Agarwal Sweet India at Rajindra Nagar.
But campaign managers say they are mandated to follow a specified expenditure.
“The rate charts prepared by the poll panel acts as a control and helps to keep the expenditure of a contesting candidate within limits. Otherwise it could go haywire. The election commission monitors the expenditure of a candidate so we try to stick to the limit,” said Puja Bahri, media-in-charge and campaign manager of Ajay Maken, the Congress candidate from New Delhi.
