BJP Spent Rs 529 Cr on 5 Assembly Polls, More Than Twice of Congress' Rs 248 Cr

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent Rs 529 crore on the five assembly polls in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal, and Kerala held earlier this year, while the Congress spent less than half of that amount—Rs 248.55 crore—according to the election expenditure reports made public by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

BJP's Expenditure Breakdown

BJP spent Rs 286.99 crore—over 50%—in West Bengal, Rs 82.67 crore in Kerala, Rs 96.26 crore in Assam, Rs 51.56 crore in Tamil Nadu, and Rs 11.89 crore in Puducherry.

Of the total amount spent by the BJP in West Bengal, Rs 217 crore was spent on general party propaganda, and Rs 69 crore on candidates. The party headquarters and state/district/local units collectively spent Rs 52.18 crore on travel expenses of its star campaigners, and Rs 88.48 crore on media advertisements.

BJP spent Rs 76.73 crore on general party propaganda in Assam, and another Rs 19.53 crore on candidates. It spent Rs 27.32 crore on travel expenses of star campaigners, and Rs 36.99 crore on media ads.

In Puducherry, it spent Rs 2.7 crore on candidates, and Rs 9.18 crore on party propaganda. In Tamil Nadu, Rs 7.05 crore was spent on candidates, and Rs 44.50 crore on general party propaganda.

Congress' Expenditure Breakdown

Meanwhile, Congress, of the total Rs 248.55 crore, spent Rs 143 crore on general propaganda, and Rs 105 crore on candidates. Additionally, it spent Rs 22.5 crore on travel expenses of star campaigners and other leaders, and Rs 92.52 crore on media advertisements.

The maximum amount that Congress paid to each candidate was in Kerala, Rs 30 lakh, compared to Rs 10 lakh to a few candidates in Assam.

BJP received Rs 1,473 crore from the date of announcement of the 5 assembly elections to the completion of polls. Congress received Rs 207 crore in the same period.