New Delhi: The BJP spent Rs 529.38 crore on the five Assembly elections held earlier this year, with more than half of the amount spent in West Bengal, according to expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission.

The five polls were held in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The BJP spent Rs 286.99 crore in Bengal alone, accounting for more than 54 per cent of its total expenditure.

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Bengal accounted for over half of BJP's spending

The BJP spent Rs 217.16 crore on general campaigning in West Bengal and Rs 69.83 crore on candidates.

The party came to power in Bengal for the first time, winning 207 of the 293 seats for which results were declared, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 80.

The Congress, which contested 293 seats independently in the state, won two. It reported spending Rs 42.08 crore in Bengal through its central headquarters and state unit. Of this, Rs 12.96 crore went towards general campaigning and Rs 29.12 crore towards candidates and related expenses.

The CPM, 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 TMC's expenditure statement has not yet been made public.
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BJP's spending in other states

Apart from Bengal, the BJP spent Rs 96.27 crore in Assam, Rs 82.67 crore in Kerala, Rs 51.56 crore in Tamil Nadu and Rs 11.90 crore in Puducherry.

Kerala was the only state among the five where the Congress reported higher expenditure than the BJP.

The Congress spent Rs 105.34 crore in Kerala through its headquarters and state unit. Of this, Rs 71.30 crore was spent on general campaigning and Rs 34.05 crore on candidates and related expenses.

The BJP's Kerala expenditure included Rs 54.93 crore on general campaigning and Rs 27.74 crore on candidates.

The CPM's Kerala state unit reported spending Rs 28.60 crore, including Rs 26.30 crore on general campaigning and Rs 2.31 crore on candidates.

Congress spent Rs 248.55 crore across five polls

Across the five elections, the Congress reported total expenditure of Rs 248.55 crore.

Of this, Rs 143 crore went towards general campaigning and Rs 105.55 crore towards candidates and related expenses.

The CPM's consolidated expenditure across the five polls stood at Rs 39.04 crore.
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BJP received Rs 1,472.8 crore during poll period

Earlier filings showed that the BJP's central headquarters received Rs 1,472.8 crore during the election period.

The Congress reported Rs 207.17 crore in receipts across its headquarters and five state units.

The BJP's central office had a balance of Rs 7,627.2 crore at the end of the election period, up from Rs 6,722.6 crore when the polls were announced.

In contrast, the Congress' combined balance across its headquarters and five state units fell from around Rs 169.06 crore to Rs 103.2 crore during the same period.

PTI