Despite hard times, caterers look to make a killing during election season

There has been precipitous fall in demand in the past decade with very few parties opting for large-scale cooking

Through the year the central kitchen run by Murali (name changed on request) employs almost 40 people to prepare food during weddings, temple functions and other such events.

With additional orders pouring in during the election season, he gets busy. For the past 15 years, Murali has been one of the top caterers here supplying food to political meetings. He has even prepared meals for political leaders in town for campaigning.

Favourites on menu

Orders start pouring in when candidates file their nomination and go about canvassing. Among the favourites on the menu are: a variety of rice dishes (such as lemon rice and tomato rice) and evening tiffin (idli, parotta, etc.).Be it Assembly polls or general election, Natraj (name changed) — a cook in a small town in Tirupur district — used to travel to other places to cook for party activists attending election meetings.

Representatives from the political parties used to approach him a month before the campaigning started.

But things have changed these days, some of the caterers in the region say. While over a decade ago, orders used to be placed almost for 1,000 people, there has been a precipitous fall in demand. About 50-100 packets are ordered now.

The reason?

There isn’t a clear answer. Some say it is because the party representatives in charge of campaigning in each locality distribute the cadre tokens that can be used at select hotels, while some say the parties find buying food packets from nearby eateries more feasible. Very few go for cooking on a large scale anymore.

The volume and variety of food also varies depending on the political party and the candidate in question.

Changing preferences

In the 1950s, parties used to serve upma and coffee. It slowly changed to biriyani, recollects a sitting MLA in the district.

Though the order volume goes up for some caterers during the polls, it constitutes a meagre two to three per cent of their business, adds a catering service provider here.

On an average, an election official here says, 20 per cent to 23 per cent of a candidate’s expenditure is on food.

On an average, candidates spend 20 to 23 per cent of their money

on food