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After every public meeting during the election campaign in the 1960s, organisers of the meeting would request the crowd to donate money to meet the election expenses, who obliged to the request.
At 86 years of age, VIT founder - chancellor G. Vishwanathan, who witnessed it many times during his early years in politics, told The Hindu that election expenses were far lesser than they are now, where a lot of money is being spent on campaigning to draw voters to cast their votes on polling day.
“Back then, it was simple and less expensive as voters turned up at polling booths on their own. Only a few candidates used to contest in elections during those times. The situation is completely different now,” said Mr. Viswanathan.
After completing his degree in law in Chennai, Mr. Viswanathan moved to Vellore in the 1960s. He has been voting at the polling booth in E.V.R. Nagammaiyar higher secondary school in Kosapet in Vellore town since 1967, when he contested in a DMK ticket for Vandavasi Lok Sabha constituency. Since then, he has been voting in every general election at the school. On Friday, he voted at the polling booth along with his family members.
A native of Gudiyatham, Mr. Viswanathan said that candidates’ election expenses were restricted only to print leaflets, banners and pamphlets. For general election expenses, political parties, especially the DMK, used to collect chit funds and proceeds from the fund used for election expenses. “The practice is followed by the Dravidian parties even today. One aspect of the election that has remained unchanged was the announcement of a public holiday on polling day. The practice has been followed since the early years of election with an aim to draw more voters, especially young voters, to polling booths,” he said.
