New Delhi: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Center spent over Rs 344.27 crore in the assembly elections held in five states (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand) earlier this year. This is about 58 per cent more than the election expenditure of Rs 218.26 crore made by the party in the elections held five years ago.
This came out from the analysis of the election expenditure report submitted to the Election Commission after the elections held in the states held five years ago. There has been a significant increase in election expenditure. Congress spent Rs 194.80 crore in 2022 which is almost 80 percent more than Rs 108.14 crore spent in 2017. The data also shows that out of the total amount spent by the BJP in five states, the maximum amount of Rs 221.32 crore was spent in the elections of Uttar Pradesh, where the party managed to return to power with a low majority.
Its election expenditure in UP during the 2022 assembly elections was 26 per cent higher as compared to 2017’s Rs 175.10 crore. However, the fastest growth was recorded in Punjab and Goa. The BJP spent Rs 36.70 crore in this year’s elections in Punjab, which is almost five times more than its Rs 7.43 crore expenditure in the 2017 assembly elections. Despite this, the saffron party was able to win only two seats, whereas it had got three seats in the 2017 elections.
In Goa, the BJP spent Rs 19.07 crore in the elections held earlier this year, more than four times as compared to its expenditure of Rs 4.37 crore in 2017. The party’s election expenditure in this year’s elections in Manipur and Uttarakhand was Rs 23.52 crore (7.86 crore in 2017) and Rs 43.67 crore (23.48 crore in 2017).
BJP returned to power in all these three states of Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand. The BJP during its election campaign in 63 days from the announcement of the dates of the assembly elections in these 5 states on January 8 to the declaration of the results on March 12, has reported gross receipts of over Rs 914 crore by its central office and its state units in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.
Let us tell you that the state-wise details of the election expenditure of the Congress are not available. The Congress has informed about spending Rs 15.67 crore on ‘virtual campaigns through social media platforms/apps and other means’.
Political parties contesting Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections are required to keep an account of all the money collected in the form of cash, cheque, draft or any other means from the date of announcement of the election to the date of the end of the election.
Political parties are also required to submit the details of their election expenditure to the Election Commission within 75 days of the assembly elections and 90 days after the Lok Sabha elections.
