AIADMK MLAs dispute poll expense rate chart

Madurai: AIADMK MLA Sellur K Raju has raised concerns over the election commission's district-wise ‘rate chart' fixed for the election, citing inconsistencies between govt-mandated prices and prevailing market rates in Madurai.In a letter submitted to district election officer and collector K J Praveen Kumar on Sunday, he said the official rate chart in Madurai was set much higher than the current market value for campaign-related materials and services. Several items were charged on a full-day basis in the chart, while candidates typically rented them on an hourly basis. This, he said, artificially inflated a candidate's recorded election expenditure and could create financial discrepancies.The MLA attached a comparative list of 46 items used during electioneering. He said a drone camera's official rate was listed as Rs1,572 while the market price was Rs500. He also flagged differences for items such as ‘pandals' (temporary sheds), plastic chairs and public address systems.Raju urged the district administration to re-evaluate the price list and align it with the current market value. He said a realistic rate chart was necessary to maintain integrity of the electoral process and ensure candidates were not unfairly penalised by over-calculated expense reports. The collector's office said the matter will be reviewed.Raju was accompanied by other AIADMK MLAs including V V Rajan Chellappa and R B Udayakumar while filing the complaint with the collector.