As the election fever catches up, a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) worker is grinding flour at Re 1 a kg. Rajiv Pawar says he is doing it to help the poor who cannot afford it at other mills that charge Rs 4 a kg.

Although MNS city unit chief Prakash Dhore says it had nothing to do with the MNS as a party in a direct way, the scheme — Navnirman Abhiyan— is being viewed by many as a subtle tool of party campaign.

He says, “This exercise is being run for a cause. It is also to make people appreciate MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s ideologies and what the party can do for the common man.”

Pawar, who runs flourmills at Range Hills, Aundh, Gokhale Nagar and Khairewadi, says, “All these units are close to slum areas. The exercise is being run on a no-profit-no-loss basis.”

Pawar has provided the customers with identity cards on the lines of ration cards so that others do not take undue advantage. Asked whether such schemes should come under the purview of the model code of conduct, assistant (1) returning officer Rajendra Muthe said, “This cannot be called a violation unless the expenses shown are borne by the candidate.”