March 25: If Naveen Patnaik shares the dais with the actor-candidate and says “Siddhant Bhala Kamma Karucchi, Aaapanamane taanku vote debe,” (Sidhhant is doing good work, you should vote for him), the Berhampur contestant’s managers will have to reach for the calculator.

If Union minister and Congress campaign committee chairman Srikant Jena holds a rally with Bijoy Mohanty, the nominee, and a supporter holds up the candidate’s picture, it will tell on Mohanty’s poll expense limit.

But, if the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi simply stands near Sangita Kumar Singh Deo on a Balangir stage and does not utter her name, Sangita’s poll expenses meter may not tick.

From this general election, star campaigners’ expenses will be considered as that of the candidates, if it is established that votes were canvassed not only for a party, but also for individual contestants.

Till now, expenditure incurred by star campaigners — part of a select group nominated by each party — was counted as that of the organisation.

The new norms, which replicate a “Bihar model”, narrow the candidates’ options for squeezing themselves within the expenditure limit imposed in each seat.

The Election Commission had recently raised the limit on each candidate in each seat in big states to Rs 70 lakh from Rs 40 lakh and to Rs 54 lakh in small states. But, it is an open secret that many candidates spend crores.

The change in rules governing campaigning means that every time it is established that a star campaigner has canvassed for a candidate, the expenses will be added to the contestant’s account, bringing down his or her limit.

However, this does not mean that the meter will tick on the candidate’s accounts at all meetings attended by the star campaigner. The commission has laid down specific guidelines to establish if a star campaigner has canvassed votes for a particular candidate or not. (See chart)

The norms range from introducing the candidate to the audience to keeping the contestant’s picture in the background.

Mere physical presence of a candidate near the star campaigner will not count as campaigning. Which raises the question whether miming skills will be much sought after in this election.

Star campaigners need not be members of a political party, but their names have to be submitted to poll panel within seven days of the notification of the election. A party has the discretion to decide who will be its star campaigners.

Usually, a party’s key leaders, who have a national appeal, are made star campaigners. A recognised party can have as many as 40 star campaigners, while a registered but unrecognised party can have 20.

“The moment the star campaigners deviate from the standard guidelines set by the commission — meaning they campaign for an individual, not a party — their expenses will have to be paid from the poll account of the candidate,” said an Election Commission official.

Till the last general election in 2009, all the expenses of a star candidate — holding rallies, lodging-boarding and travelling, including hiring choppers — was borne by the political party.

The new norms were tried out in the 2010 Assembly elections in Bihar. If a star campaigner campaigns for more than one candidate a day, the expenses will be shared on the basis of a formula where weightage is given to factors such as distance travelled.

The change has evoked mixed reactions. “I am totally new to it. I have no idea,” said cine star Aparajita Mohanty, the Congress’s Cutatck candidate. Poll panel sources said stringent norms had been introduced to keep track of expenses.

“This will be the first parliamentary election when shadow observation registers will be introduced to maintain day-to-day records of each candidate’s poll expenses. The register will be tallied with the expense records submitted by the candidates and in case of any discrepancy, observers can summon the candidates and seek explanation,” said a senior official.

A fine of Rs 500 can be imposed for failure to furnish supporting documents. But, the Election Commission does have the power to disqualify the candidates.

Poll panel sources said that meetings with political parties to sensitise them about the new rules had been started.

“Meetings with political parties are being held at the district election officer (DEO) level. Hard copies of the model code of conduct, norms regarding monitoring of election expenditure, rate charts and standard operating procedures for holding rallies have also been sent to all the recognised parties,” an official said.