The Election Commission of India has released a detailed handbook fixing item-wise campaign expense rates for candidates across Chennaiās 16 Assembly constituencies, ensuring adherence to the ā¹40 lakh spending cap.
As per the guidelines, plastic chairs are priced at ā¹11, luxury chairs ā¹165 and sofas ā¹380, while party flag decorations cost ā¹40 per packet. Traditional campaign items include banana trees at ā¹750 each, firecrackers (1,000 wala) at ā¹650, flower garlands at ā¹400 and shawls at ā¹150.
For campaign events, band sets cost ā¹6,500 (4 hours), horses ā¹6,000, and folk performances like karagattam ā¹11,000. Coconut breaking is fixed at ā¹30 per piece and limes at ā¹5 each.
Food and refreshments are also capped, with water bottles at ā¹7, meals at ā¹50, sweets ā¹90 per 100g and dry fruits ā¹50 per 100g. Clothing items such as sarees are priced at ā¹250 and T-shirts at ā¹200.
Vehicle rentals form a major expense, with non-AC cars costing ā¹3,300, AC cars ā¹3,400 and SUVs like Innova at ā¹5,250, while Tempo Travellers are fixed at ā¹6,700.
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.