What is the story about?
New Delhi: The BJP spent Rs 286.99 crore on the West Bengal elections alone - more than the Rs 248.55 crore the Congress spent across four states and a Union
territory that went to polls earlier this year, according to expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission. Bengal accounted for more than half of the BJP’s total election spending of Rs 529.38 crore across the five polls. The other states and Union territory were Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In Bengal, the BJP spent Rs 217.16 crore on general campaigning and Rs 69.83 crore on candidates. The BJP came to power in Bengal for the first time, winning 207 of the 293 seats for which results were declared. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 80 seats.
How Much Did Congress Spend In Bengal?
The Congress contested 293 seats independently in Bengal and won two.
The party reported spending Rs 42.08 crore in the state through its central headquarters and state unit. Of this, Rs 12.96 crore was spent on general campaigning, while Rs 29.12 crore went towards candidates and related expenses.
The CPI(M), which ruled Bengal for decades before losing power in 2011, contested 197 seats and won one. Its state unit reported spending Rs 8.23 crore, including expenditure on candidates.
The TMC’s expenditure statement has not been made public yet.
Kerala Tells A Different Story
The spending figures from Kerala show a different picture.
The Congress spent Rs 105.34 crore in Kerala through its headquarters and state unit, compared with Rs 82.67 crore spent by the BJP.
The Congress spent Rs 71.30 crore on general campaigning and Rs 34.05 crore on candidates and related expenses.
The BJP spent Rs 54.93 crore on general campaigning and Rs 27.74 crore on candidates.
The Congress-led alliance displaced the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala. The Congress won 63 seats, while the CPI(M) won 26. The BJP won three seats.
The CPI(M) reported spending Rs 28.60 crore through its state unit. This included Rs 26.30 crore on general campaigning and Rs 2.31 crore on candidates.
BJP’s Rs 529-Crore Election Spend
Across the five elections, the BJP reported total spending of Rs 529.38 crore.
Apart from Bengal and Kerala, the party spent Rs 96.27 crore in Assam, Rs 51.56 crore in Tamil Nadu and Rs 11.90 crore in Puducherry.
The Congress, meanwhile, reported total expenditure of Rs 248.55 crore across the five polls. Of this, Rs 143 crore went towards general campaigning and Rs 105.55 crore towards candidates and related expenses.
The CPI(M)’s combined expenditure was Rs 39.04 crore.
BJP, Congress Receipts And Balances
Earlier filings showed that the BJP’s central headquarters received Rs 1,472.8 crore during the election period.
The Congress reported receipts of Rs 207.17 crore across its headquarters and five state units during the same period.
The BJP’s central office ended the election period with Rs 7,627.2 crore, up from Rs 6,722.6 crore when the elections were announced.
The Congress’ combined balance across its headquarters and five state units, meanwhile, fell from around Rs 169.06 crore to Rs 103.2 crore during the same period.
