Political parties, both national (State units) and regional incurred a total of expense of at least ₹178 crore as election expenditure for Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu in May 2016, which is also the highest amount spent by parties among four States and a union territory that went for polls last year.

According to the report titled ‘Analysis of funds collected and expenditure incurred by political parties in the 5 State Assembly elections, 2016’ released by the Association for Democratic Reforms, the DMK and the AIADMK spent the most among 15 regional political parties across the country for Assembly polls in the five States last year.

The expenses incurred by both the parties were only next to the expenditure incurred by the BJP nationally (₹112 crore for four States and Puducherry), the report stated.

While the DMK spent ₹97.34 crore, which formed 45.49% of the total expenditure of ₹213 crore spent by 15 regional parties, the AIADMK spent ₹64.72 crore.

The defaulters

While the AIADMK submitted the statement of election expenditure in all the States it contested, the DMK and PMK have not submitted the details in Puducherry.

The DMDK has not submitted the details of the election expenditure in Tamil Nadu as well as in Puducherry, the report stated. As for collection by various political parties in Tamil Nadu for Assembly polls 2016, Congress (through its State unit) collected the highest at ₹13.95 crore while the DMK collected ₹9.70 crore.

The PMK, the AIADMK and the CPI(M) collected ₹8.27 crore, ₹4.10 crore and ₹3.01 crore, respectively.