The Election Commission of India has released a detailed handbook fixing item-wise campaign expense rates for candidates across Chennai’s 16 Assembly constituencies, ensuring adherence to the ₹40 lakh spending cap.
As per the guidelines, plastic chairs are priced at ₹11, luxury chairs ₹165 and sofas ₹380, while party flag decorations cost ₹40 per packet. Traditional campaign items include banana trees at ₹750 each, firecrackers (1,000 wala) at ₹650, flower garlands at ₹400 and shawls at ₹150.
For campaign events, band sets cost ₹6,500 (4 hours), horses ₹6,000, and folk performances like karagattam ₹11,000. Coconut breaking is fixed at ₹30 per piece and limes at ₹5 each.
Food and refreshments are also capped, with water bottles at ₹7, meals at ₹50, sweets ₹90 per 100g and dry fruits ₹50 per 100g. Clothing items such as sarees are priced at ₹250 and T-shirts at ₹200.
Vehicle rentals form a major expense, with non-AC cars costing ₹3,300, AC cars ₹3,400 and SUVs like Innova at ₹5,250, while Tempo Travellers are fixed at ₹6,700.
Officials warned that exceeding limits will be treated as a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act, with strict monitoring in place across Chennai.