BJP spent more in Bengal than Congress: EC filing

New Delhi: The BJP spent Rs 286.99 crore on the West Bengal elections alone, more than the Rs 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 Rs 529.38-crore expenditure on the five elections, the other four being in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The party spent Rs 217.16 crore on general campaigning in Bengal and Rs 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 Rs 42.08 crore in Bengal through its central headquarters and state unit. This included an expenditure of Rs 12.96 crore on general campaigning and Rs 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 Rs 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.

Kerala 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 Rs 105.34 crore in Kerala through its headquarters and state unit, more than the BJP's Rs 82.67 crore. Of the Congress outlay, Rs 71.30 crore went towards general campaigning and Rs 34.05 crore towards candidates and related expenses.

The BJP reported spending Rs 54.93 crore on general campaigning in Kerala and Rs 27.74 crore on candidates.

The CPI(M), a major force in Kerala, reported an expenditure of Rs 28.60 crore by its state unit. This included Rs 26.30 crore on general campaigning and Rs 2.31 crore on candidates.

Across the five elections, the Congress reported spending Rs 143 crore on general campaigning and Rs 105.55 crore on candidates, taking its total to Rs 248.55 crore. The CPI(M)'s consolidated expenditure was Rs 39.04 crore.

The BJP reported spending Rs 96.27 crore in Assam, Rs 51.56 crore in Tamil Nadu and Rs 11.90 crore in Puducherry, besides its outlays in Bengal and Kerala.

Earlier filings showed that the BJP's central headquarters received Rs 1,472.8 crore during the election period, while the Congress reported Rs 207.17 crore in receipts across its headquarters and five state units.

The BJP's central office alone ended the election period with Rs 7,627.2 crore, up from Rs 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 Rs 103.2 crore during the same period.