Pawan Kalyan may cost contestants the polls

Hyderabad: Roping in actor Pawan Kalyan as a crowd puller might cost dear for the candidates of both the TD and the BJP.

Even as several Telugu Desam and BJP contestants have called on Pawan Kalyan to campaign for them due to his enormous fan following, they are little aware about the kind of money they need to pay for it. And, it could be enough to lead to their disqualification from the election.

Since Pawan Kalyan, the Jana Sena party founder, is not in the list of star campaigners for either of the alliance partners submitted to the Election Commission; the campaigning cost would have to be shown in the candidates’ poll expenditure account.

“As Mr Pawan Kalyan is not included in the star campaigner’s lists, the campaigning expenditure will be taken in the contesting candidate’s account,” said AP Chief Electoral Officer,  Bhanwar Lal.

Election Commission officials are keeping a close tab on the actor’s movements who is known to take special charter flights for each his tours to Telangana and Seemandhra.    

Each public meeting by the actor is estimated to cost anywhere between Rs10-15 lakh. This includes charges of special charter flights, and arrangements at his public meetings.