The ruling BJP and primary opposition party Congress received the highest amount of funding during the assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry, as per a study.
A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch claimed that 19 political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, received over Rs 1,100 crore during assembly elections.
How Much Funding BJP, Congress and other Parties Received?
The BJP got the highest amount of Rs 611.692 crore followed by Congress (Rs 193.77 crore), DMK (Rs 134 crore), CPI(M) (Rs 79.244 crore), TMC (Rs 56.328 crore), AIADMK (Rs 14.46 crore) and the CPI (Rs 8.05 crore), the study said.
"Total funds collected by 19 political parties during Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry Assembly Elections held in 2021 was Rs 1,116.81 crore and total expenditure incurred was Rs 514.30 crore," the non-government election watchdog said in its report.
How Much Did Parties Spend During Elections?
The BJP spent the highest amount for elections among the 19 parties. The Saffron party incurred a total expenditure of Rs 252 crore. The major chunk of which has gone towards advertisements and travel expenses.
It spent Rs Rs 85.26 crore on publicity, including media advertisement, and Rs 61.73 crore on travel expenses of star campaigners and other leaders.
Congress Election Expense
The Congress spent Rs 85.625 crore, including Rs 31.451 crore on publicity and Rs 20.40 crore towards travel expenses, it said. Whereas its ally in Tamil Nadu, the DMK incurred a total expenditure of Rs 114.14 crore, with the party spending Rs 52.144 crore on publicity and Rs 2.41 crore towards travel expenses of its star campaigners and other leaders.
Election Expenditure of Other Parties
The CPI(M spent Rs 32.74 crore, including Rs 21.509 crore towards publicity and Rs 1.17 crore on travel expenses. The TMC incurred Rs 154.282 crore expenditure out of which it spent Rs 27.009 crore on publicity and Rs 33.02 towards travel expenses, according to the report.
The AIADMK spent Rs 57.33 crore during the Tamil Nadu elections, and of that, Rs 56.756 crore went towards publicity. The CPI spent Rs 5.68 crore in elections, incurring an expenditure of Rs 3.506 crore on publicity, the report claims.
The ADR-National Election Watch analysed funds received and expenditure incurred by 19 parties - The BJP, Congress, BSP, NCP, TMC, CPI(M), CPI, DMK, AIMIM, CPI(ML)(L), AIFB, AGP, AIADMK, AIUDF, PMK, JD-S, KC-M, SP and the AINRC - during the assembly polls in the five states and union territories in 2021.
Publicity and Travel Expense
The parties spent Rs 282.08 crore on publicity, followed by Rs 235.66 crore on lumpsum amount paid to candidates, Rs 119.57 crore on travel expenses, Rs 64.336 crore on other miscellaneous expenses and Rs 19.162 on publishing criminal antecedents of the candidate, it said.
"Their expenditure on publicity is 39.13 per cent of the overall expenditure declared under various heads," the report said. The political parties together spent the maximum on media advertisement (Rs 201.05 crore), followed by expenditure on publicity materials (Rs 63.722 crore) and public meetings (Rs 17.308 crore) it noted.
