M K Stalin campaigns ahead of state assembly elections
Chennai: DMK spent nearly ₹197 crore on the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry , about ₹85 crore more than the AIADMK , which spent ₹112 crore, according to expenditure statements submitted by the parties to Election Commission of India . Ruling TVK, which contested all 234 Tamil Nadu seats and won 108, is yet to submit its expenditure statement to ECI. The expenditure statements show that DMK spent ₹47.95 crore directly on its candidates, who contested 175 seats. It spent a little more than ₹2 crore for printing of manifesto booklets and publicity materials. AIADMK, on the other hand, spent ₹109 crore on general election propaganda and another ₹2.78 crore directly on its candidates contesting 172 seats. It spent ₹4.11 crore on preparing and printing copies of its election manifesto. DMK reported ₹319.39 crore as its closing bank balance after the campaign, while AIADMK had ₹295.98 crore.
The rest of its expenditure went towards party-level campaign activities, advertisements, public meetings and the travel of star campaigners. The expenditure statements offer a glimpse of the financial resources the parties had at their disposal.