Coimbatore: Former minister Senthil Balaji, who contested and won from Coimbatore South, has declared to the Election Commission that he spent Rs 20.15 lakh on election-related expenses.
In the expenditure statement submitted, he also said the DMK provided Rs 25 lakh towards campaign spending and that he had Rs 2 lakh as his own funds. The Election Commission has set a ceiling of Rs 40 lakh per candidate, and the submitted accounts were reviewed by expenditure observers before being forwarded to the Commission.
The Commission has now published the expenditure details online for public viewing. According to the data, DMK, Congress and BJP candidates in the district have reported receiving Rs 25 lakh each from their respective party leaderships for election expenses.
Balaji’s filing includes costs linked to campaign events held in support of his candidature. It lists Rs 66,165 for a public meeting addressed by former Union finance minister P Chidambaram, Rs 1,77,358 for campaigning by DMK Youth Wing secretary Udhayanidhi, and Rs 2,66,718 for campaigning by MNM leader Kamal.
Other candidates’ declarations from Coimbatore district were also reflected in the published accounts, including spending figures reported by candidates in Coimbatore South, Coimbatore North, Thondamuthur and Pollachi constituencies.
