No Sasti Chai-Samosas: Punjab Poll Panel to Parties

Punjabi rally-hoppers, your ‘chai-samosa’ at political rallies now needs the poll panel’s permission.

Rally-hoppers rejoice!

Punjab’s election office has just ensured that you don’t get treated to sasti tea and ‘samosas’ at a politicians’ rallies. They have been asked to treat you all to at least a Rs 8-walli chai and samosas at not less than Rs 10, according to PTI.

To start with, politicians in the state have to take permission from the poll panel to even treat an attendee at a campaign rally to a very basic set of ‘chai and samosas'.

The cost of such a treat has been fixed by the EC so that politicians don’t under-report the Election Commission when submitting their poll expenditure bills and launder off the money for other purposes.

“There is a need to determine the expenditure by candidates.”

S Karuna Raju, Punjab’s chief electoral officer, to PTI