The BJP spent ₹286.99 crore on the West Bengal elections alone, more than the ₹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 ₹529.38-crore expenditure on the five elections, the other four being in Assam, Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The party spent ₹217.16 crore on general campaigning in Bengal and ₹69.83 crore on candidates.
The BJP ousted the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and came to power for the first time in Bengal. It won 207 of the 293 seats for which results were declared, against 80 for the TMC.
The Congress, which contested 293 seats independently despite being a marginal force in the State, won two. It reported spending ₹42.08 crore in Bengal through its central headquarters and state unit. This included an expenditure of ₹12.96 crore on general campaigning and ₹29.12 crore on 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 ₹8.23 crore, including expenditure on candidates.
The expenditure statement of the Trinamool Congress, which was the BJP’s principal rival in Bengal, has not been made public yet.
Spending in Keralam
Keralam offers a contrast based on the expenses declared by the parties. The Congress-led alliance displaced the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, with the Congress winning 63 seats and the CPI(M) 26. The BJP won three seats.
The Congress spent ₹105.34 crore in Keralam through its headquarters and state unit, more than the BJP’s ₹82.67 crore. Of the Congress outlay, ₹71.30 crore went towards general campaigning and ₹34.05 crore towards candidates and related expenses.
The BJP reported spending ₹54.93 crore on general campaigning in Keralam and ₹27.74 crore on candidates.
The CPI(M), a major force in Keralam, reported an expenditure of ₹28.60 crore by its state unit. This included ₹26.30 crore on general campaigning and ₹2.31 crore on candidates.
Across the five elections, the Congress reported spending ₹143 crore on general campaigning and ₹105.55 crore on candidates, taking its total to ₹248.55 crore. The CPI(M)’s consolidated expenditure was ₹39.04 crore.
The BJP reported spending ₹96.27 crore in Assam, ₹51.56 crore in Tamil Nadu and ₹11.90 crore in Puducherry, besides its outlays in Bengal and Keralam.
Earlier filings showed that the BJP’s central headquarters received ₹1,472.8 crore during the election period, while the Congress reported ₹207.17 crore in receipts across its headquarters and five state units.
The BJP’s central office alone ended the election period with ₹7,627.2 crore, up from ₹6,722.6 crore when the polls were announced. The Congress’ combined balance across its headquarters and five state units fell from about ₹Rs 169.06 crore to ₹ 103.2 crore during the same period.