In West Bengal, the BJP reported expenditure of ₹286 crore. Of this, ₹217.16 crore was spent on the party’s general election campaign, while ₹69.83 crore was classified as candidate-related expenditure. The candidate-related amount included ₹58.80 crore provided to candidates.
The party’s expenditure varied across the other states. The BJP spent ₹96.26 crore in Assam, ₹82.67 crore in Kerala, ₹51.56 crore in Tamil Nadu and ₹11.89 crore in Puducherry. Together with the West Bengal expenditure, the reported spending across the five Assembly elections totalled ₹529.38 crore.
The expenditure reports also detail the BJP’s finances during the election period. According to the reported figures, the party received ₹1,494 crore during the election cycle. After the election process concluded, the BJP had a closing balance of ₹7,689.06 crore in the form of bank balance and cash in hand.
There is a distinction between the expenditure rules applicable to candidates and those applicable to political parties. Candidates contesting elections are subject to prescribed spending limits, while political parties do not face the same overall expenditure ceiling for campaigning. After each election, political parties are required to submit detailed accounts of their election-related expenditure to the Election Commission.
These expenditure reports include spending on activities such as travel, rallies, advertisements and campaign materials, providing a state-wise account of the money reported by the party during the election cycle.
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