MP poll expenses: Aloo wada, chai top favourites of candidates across political flavours

Elections are an expensive affair with candidates spending lakhs of rupees in campaigning. And this ongoing election season is no different but there are patterns to the spending.

An analysis of the initial expenditures — of the ministers of the incumbent BJP government and former ministers in the Kamal Nath-led Congress government — reveals that they have spent over Rs 1.6 crore cumulatively.

Concurrently, in the first inspection of records, former MP chief minister Kamal Nath's reported expenditure on election campaigning stands at Rs 3.47 lakh.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has disclosed that the preliminary expenditure incurred on election campaigning amounts to Rs 95,920.

Agriculture minister in CM Shivraj's government Kamal Patel has revealed expenditures of Rs 10,000 on 'mufflers' and Rs 1,500 on 'aloo wadas.'

Minister Jagdish Devda incurred Rs 60,000 on food packets, and minister Prabhuram Chowdhary has given Rs 30,000 as advance for tea during campaign.

Water resources minister Tulsi Silawat allocated Rs 12,000 for ‘gamchas’ (towels) and nearly Rs 2.95 lakh for organising CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s rally in his constituency, along with Rs 1.5 lakh for organising Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s rally.

Former ministers Jeetu Patwari and Priyavrat Singh of Congress were in a spending competition. Jeetu spent Rs 12,000 on 3,000 cups of tea, while Priyavrat allocated Rs 4,515 for tea.

BJP minister Vishwas Sarang and former Congress minister Tarun Bhanot seems to have a penchant for ‘Dhols’ as they both have spent Rs 9000 and Rs 8000 on drumming it up.

Minister Prem Singh Patel spent on T-shirts and sarees, while minister Arvind Bhadoria spent Rs 26,000 in constructing a helipad for visiting leaders.