The figures cover the election period from March 15 to May 6, when polls were held in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry. They underline a wide financial gap between the two principal national parties, although the available filings are not fully comparable because the BJP’s published expenditure statements currently cover Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, while its reports for Kerala and West Bengal have not yet been made public.
The BJP’s receipts of Rs 1,472.8 crore relate to money received at its central headquarters alone during the poll period. Its closing balance there rose to Rs 7,627.2 crore on May 6 from Rs 6,722.6 crore on March 15, an increase of Rs 904.6 crore.
The Congress, by contrast, reported consolidated figures covering its central headquarters and units in all five election states and Puducherry. It received Rs 207.17 crore during the period and reported election expenditure of Rs 248.55 crore.
Of the Congress’s expenditure, Rs 143 crore went towards general party propaganda and Rs 105.55 crore towards candidates and related expenses. Its central headquarters accounted for Rs 40.52 crore of the propaganda bill, while state and local units spent Rs 102.49 crore. Kerala had the largest such outlay at Rs 59.28 crore, followed by Assam at Rs 22.62 crore.
Congress finances declined over the same span. The party began the election period with about Rs 169.06 crore, comprising roughly Rs 22.9 crore in cash and Rs 146.1 crore in bank accounts, and ended with about Rs 103.2 crore. That represented a fall of Rs 65.86 crore in its combined cash and bank position.
The Election Commission data released so far also provide a breakdown of BJP spending in Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The party, including its central, state and district units, spent about Rs 159.7 crore in the three contests.
Assam accounted for the largest share, with expenditure of about Rs 96.3 crore. Tamil Nadu followed at Rs 51.6 crore, while Puducherry accounted for around Rs 11.9 crore.
Of the BJP’s spending reported for the three contests, about Rs 130.4 crore went towards general party propaganda. Roughly Rs 29.6 crore was spent on candidates through lump-sum payments and on other candidate-related requirements, including publicity of criminal antecedents where mandated.
The Assam statement shows general propaganda expenditure of around Rs 76.7 crore, including Rs 23.1 crore spent by the BJP’s central unit. About Rs 19.5 crore was recorded under candidate-related expenditure.
Within the Assam campaign, the BJP reported Rs 27.3 crore in travel expenses for star campaigners, Rs 37 crore on advertisements, Rs 8.9 crore on publicity material and Rs 2.3 crore on other expenses by the state unit. Lump-sum payments to candidates accounted for about Rs 19.4 crore, while approximately Rs 16.7 lakh was spent on publishing information about candidates’ criminal antecedents.
For Tamil Nadu, the BJP authorised around Rs 44.5 crore for general party propaganda and spent about Rs 7 crore on candidates, according to the filing.
The Congress’s consolidated expenditure of Rs 248.55 crore for the full election round exceeded its net receipts during the period by more than Rs 41 crore. Its filings therefore show a different pattern from the BJP’s central headquarters, where the balance increased substantially while elections were under way.
The comparison nevertheless requires caution because the BJP figure currently disclosed for receipts is centred on its national headquarters and the spending statements available publicly do not yet include Kerala and West Bengal. Once those filings are published, the party’s consolidated expenditure and receipt picture for the entire election round can be assessed more completely.
