BJP Leads Election Spending: A Deep Dive into 2024 Lok Sabha Expenditures
Election Spending Overview
New Delhi: According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounted for nearly Rs 1,494 crore, which represents 44.56% of the total election spending during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Following closely was the Congress party, which spent Rs 620 crore, making up 18.5% of the total expenditures among the 32 national and regional parties analyzed by the ADR.
In total, these parties collectively spent Rs 3,352.81 crore during the Lok Sabha elections and the simultaneous Assembly elections held in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim from March 16 to June 6, 2024.
National parties were responsible for over Rs 2,204 crore, which is 65.75% of the overall expenditure.
The report highlighted that national parties raised Rs 6,930.246 crore (93.08%) of the total funds, while regional parties garnered Rs 515.32 crore (6.92%).
This analysis is based on the mandatory financial disclosures that political parties must submit to the Election Commission (EC) within 90 days post-general elections and 75 days after state elections.
The ADR also pointed out significant delays in these submissions, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) filing its statement 168 days late, while the BJP's submissions were delayed by 139 to 154 days, depending on the state. Notably, only the Congress provided a consolidated report for both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Publicity emerged as the largest expense, with parties allocating Rs 2,008 crore, which is over 53% of their total declared spending.
Travel expenses followed, amounting to Rs 795 crore, with Rs 402 crore paid in lump-sum amounts to candidates. Additionally, over Rs 132 crore was spent on virtual campaigns, and Rs 28 crore was used to publish candidates' criminal backgrounds.
Among the total publicity expenditure, national parties spent Rs 1,511.3004 crore (75.25%), while regional parties accounted for Rs 496.99 crore (24.75%).
Travel costs were heavily skewed towards prominent campaign figures, with Rs 765 crore (96.22%) of the Rs 795 crore spent on travel directed towards high-profile party leaders, leaving only Rs 30 crore for other candidates.
The ADR raised concerns regarding transparency, noting that statements from 21 parties, including NCP, CPI, JMM, and Shiv Sena (UBT), were missing from the EC's website at the time of the report's preparation.
Furthermore, the expenditure statements for the RJD, LJP(RV), AJSU, and KC(M) were not available for the 2024 Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Odisha.
Interestingly, two parties, the Jammu and Kashmir PDP and Kerala Congress (M), reported zero expenditures despite participating in the elections.
The ADR also noted that 690 unrecognized political parties contested in the general elections last year, with varying numbers participating in the Assembly polls across the states. The financial statements of these parties were not included in the report.
The report recommended that wherever feasible, expenditures should be limited to transactions made via cheques, demand drafts, or RTGS to minimize the use of unaccounted money in elections, in line with the EC's transparency guidelines.
Additionally, the ADR urged the EC to appoint observers to oversee party expenditures, similar to those monitoring candidate spending.