KARACHI: The norm of setting up of party camps outside polling stations and serving meals to political workers and ‘sympathisers’ is likely to manifest itself in a big way on the polling day, but the contesting groups or their sponsors have to bear the cost for this election ritual that runs into millions.

When leaders of leading political parties were approached by Dawn, to have an idea about expenses on catering and decoration refused to disclose whether the cost of this activity was wholly sponsored or mutually shared between the party and its candidates.

The erection of party camps is considered a must after the most expensive segment of print and electronic media advertisement in electioneering campaign.

It is surprising the majority of political parties, which have been demanding fair and free elections, are least bothered about transparency in their poll expenditures and are reluctant to disclose the sum they have incurred or received in kind or cash.

The Election Commission has set up 64,176 polling stations across the country, of which 3,471 would be in Karachi. The average cost, according to major tent decorators in the city, for setting up a polling camp comprising four to five tables, 15 to 20 chairs with full tent cover and a water container ranges between Rs1,500 and Rs2,000, excluding meals.

If calculated on the basis of average one camp at each polling station at Rs2,000, the total cost would come to a staggering sum of Rs128.352 million and with Rs1,500 it comes to Rs96.264 million, there may be some marginal difference in costs owing to rate variation.

More than 100 political parties with a total of 7,284 candidates, including independent ones, are vying for 270 (instead of 272) National Assembly (NA) and 572 (instead of 577) provincial assembly (PS) seats.

We can expect that at least one camp would be set up by each contesting group at every polling station and in view of a large number of contesting political parties i.e. 107, the above figure would prove to be a peanut as the actual sum would be many times higher than that as it doesn’t carry meal expenditures, which also run into millions keeping in view the costly food prices.

This staggering figure would be an eye-opener for those who do not take this expensive exercise seriously.

Coming to the political leaders, Taj Haider of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) told Dawn that the party candidates spent individually or with the support of their well-wishers for setting up party camps outside the polling stations in their respective constituencies. “Party workers, however, usually volunteer themselves for elections work, but in case of a shortage, services of general public are hired”.

He said that there was no limit put by the Election Commission on the spending by a political party, though it has restricted individual spending by an intending MNA and MPA to Rs1.5 million and Rs1 million, respectively.

Refusing to disclose how much a party candidate spends on his election campaign, he said his party was not bearing the cost of decoration and catering. It only spends on print material and electronic advertisement as a party, and added that the central management of this affair was very complex and unmanageable.

Faisal Sabzwari of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) told Dawn that his party centrally managed all cost of election campaign, including setting up of camps and provision of meals to party workers.

He added that the party supporters and sympathisers in the respective constituencies did contribute in cash and in kind towards the election drive. But he was unaware of the actual amount spent by the party saying that the MQM spent within the limits prescribed by the Election Commission.Mamnoon Hussain, senior vice-president of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), told Dawn that the candidates contesting elections on PML-N tickets were bearing the cost of campaign. However, they got some support from their well-wishers in setting up party camps and providing meals to their workers.

DECORATORS/CATERERS: Some small decorators and caterers from various areas of the city told Dawn they had received orders from political parties for setting up camp offices and provision of meals. However, the big names in the town like Rajput, Haji, Mateen, Asia, Nizam, Malik etc., did receive some inquires, but no big orders.

Jamal Zafar, a manager at Rajput, told Dawn that surprisingly, no meal orders were so far placed by any political party for the polling day. However, he was still optimistic about urgent orders.

Many decorators told Dawn that they were reluctant to accept orders from political parties due to delay in payment and fear of violence. They also said that small caterers and decorators were grabbing huge business as usually area supporters of political parties themselves arranged meals and camps for their candidates.

A manager of Mateen Foods in North Nazimabad said that in 2002 elections “we did a big business and expect the same volume on this time too”.

SECURITY: In response to a query about private security agencies for protection of party offices and candidates, political parties said they had made no such allocation.